Reticence Saga: The Aliens Within
by Cydra
Summary: The journey of the crew has gone rather far astray. 6 years astray to be precise, due to an ancient device that could be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. And claiming it before anyone else does will not be a straight and simple matter. The crew shall have to deal with more worries than what has changed in 6 years. There are older forces that are soon to come into play.
1. Ghosts of Times Yet to Come

**Reticence Saga**

**The Aliens Within**

**Chapter 1: Ghosts of Times Yet To Come**

The vastness of multiversal space cannot be overstated. Even with the most advanced of ships, there are some distances that are simply too far apart to reach by conventional methods. As such, some ships are equipped with alternate means of crossing the immense distances. That often meant different accommodations for the crew.

However, some things were too dangerous, which was why most ships had stasis decks, perfect for the radiation barrier one such ship was being forced to traverse, fatal to any living creature not in a booth. Aria was one such creature, wandering the decks and amusing herself by checking field reports or messing with enviromentals. "Urgh...8 more days of this crap...the sooner everyone's awake, the better," she said to herself, checking another day's worth of scans .

The greatest drawback to being an AI was that boredom was harder to deal with. AI lack the biological functions that organic beings had to preoccupy them and they had to stay active to maintain the ship.

There was also the problem of computer senility. AIs ran the risk of literally going mad from boredom which was why Aria was happy the end was in sight. She'd already had to quarantine several subroutines when they began to show signs...  
>"Warning...Tech alert. Hostile technology detected...analyzing signal and plotting intercept course," said the computer at that .<p>

"Estimate deviation from original course," said Aria, sounding really annoyed.

"92.7 degrees starboard...undocumented wormhole...classification: rifter," said the computer before it added, "Analysis...tech estimated as class 12...immediate intervention required under the NSC Sy-Yong act."

"We're not NSC anymore. Stay on course," said Aria.

"Unable to comply...your projected course would bypass the alert...Assuming control under category 12 of the Sy-Yong act," said the computer.

Aria managed, "You son of a-" before she powered down. The computer beeped contently to itself before making the required corrections and preparing a briefing for the crew...

* * *

><p>Plumber HQ, Earth.<p>

Normally, the Plumbers only dealt with matters within their current star system. But several Plumber outposts had been sending reports of a large unidentified ship that had been plowing through everything in its way.

"Magister Tennyson. We got another report. An Incursean fleet just tried to ambush...whatever that is. From this report, they didn't last long but they're saying it was a NSC ship, older Infinity model," said a Plumber at the controls, a starmap showing a red dot slowly moving along, several x's marking where ships ranging from pirated to PDF ships trying to chase it away had tried and failed to engage the behemoth .

"I want the NSC representative in here now," demanded Max.

An image was immediately called up, an aged Neilson yawning. "Oh, what the smeg? Do you know what time it is here on Central?" he snapped .

"No and I don't care," said Max, "What I do care about is why one of your ships has been plowing a trail through one eighth of the Milky Way."

"Are you joking? The fleets have their hands full with what's left of the Dark Queen's empire. The closest ship's 3 months away, one of the reasons we objected to your boss kicking our bases out," snapped Neilson .

"Then can you offer a better explanation for this?" asked Max before sending Neilson data about the ship.

"Home in on the registry and nameplate," said Neilson to someone off-screen, immediately all business before he said, "It's clearly a fake. The Novus Star's on Avalar undertaking an extensive refit. I should know because I spoke to the commander last night. It's his anniversary and the last person to try and crash that ended up in a regen booth for 3 months," he said calmly .

"Seems unlikely that someone could make an exact replica of that ship just to blast everything in its way," said Max.

"Of course not. The Infinity series was discontinued when the civil war broke out. Only three were made and they're all accounted for," said Neilson, before the feed began to flicker. "The heck...Control, lock down that..." he began before every screen except Neilson's became a red backgrounded rotating symbol of the NSC.

"This is a general broadcast from the Nullspace Security Coalition. A hostile technology of class 12 has been identified on a planet at coordinated Zeta 414 dash 5. This technology, if prematurely activated could cause significant loss of life and materials and as a result, a force has been dispatched to contain and neutralize the effect. Any attempt to breach the quarantine perimeter or interfere with the operations will be met with lethal force. This message will broadcast to any ship entering the 2 lightyear buffer zone and will repeat...This is a general-" said a calm and polite female voice before Neilson apparently muted it.

"Probably DARKRIFT. I'd listen if I were you. Those guys eat demons for breakfast," he said, suddenly all calm, like he knew something .

"DARKRIFT or not, I want to know why they're heading for the Anur System," said Max, having already figured out the ship's trajectory.

"DARKRIFT ops are classified way above my paygrade but let me put it this way, until now, the Sy-Yong scale only went to 8," said Neilson, before terminating the link

"There is only one Plumber posted in that system," said Molly Gunther, "It shouldn't be a concern to us."

"When something blows up an entire fleet, especially an Incursean fleet to get somewhere, I think it's everyone's concern," said Max.

"Magister, we can't get through to the Plumber stationed on Anur. We just get that voice message," said another Plumber concerned .

"Scout could be in over his head with this," said Max, "We better send backup." Max, however, had called up the specs on the so-called Infinity. Nicknamed 'fleet in a box' due to the fact it was so large that it had several destroyers and cruisers docked with it. Above Max, the same message repeated, emphasizing the 'lethal force' part. "We're going to need someone who's extremely experienced with slipping under the radar," said Max.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe we're going back to Anur Transyl. I hope the locals are friendlier then last time," said Ben, sitting back in his of the time ship.<p>

"Perhaps they will be more welcoming if you do not try to label and antagonize them again," said Rook.

"What? They're actual monsters. I was just calling them what they were," said Ben, "Besides, I saved them Transyl and Zs'Skayr so they know they owe me."

Rook, however, was suddenly looking ahead to where a cluster of asteroids were sitting. "That is strange. These asteroids were not here on our last trip," he said concerned, before the com auto-activated.

"Unidentified vessel. You are approaching a quarantined system. Please alter your heading to leave this zone or state a valid NSC security ident code," said a calm female voice.

"You got a working code?" asked Ben dryly.

"I do not," said Rook, "I suspect that these asteroids are more than they appear."

"What gives you that idea?" asked Ben.

"The fact that they are targeting us with auto-turrets," said Rook.

"This is your second warning. Please state a valid ident code or your ship will be flagged as hostile," said the voice a tone of warning in it now as several of the 'asteroids' shed their covering to show floating quad cannons.

"Ben, perhaps we should try a different approach," said Rook.

"Yeah, we'll just time travel back to before they get here and slip in before they set up their defenses," said Ben.

"For once, a useful idea," said Skurd dryly.

"Your time has expired. Kill your engines. You are under arrest," said the voice, sounding angry now before several rapid clunks were heard, the projectiles bouncing off their ship and the clanks getting louder as the turrets began to up the calibers.

"Activate the Time Cycles' temporal drive on my mark," said Rook.

"MARK!" shouted Ben as he hit his button, Rook barely hitting his in time.

However, at that moment, a deafening bang was heard as one turret's computer noticed the energy burst and decided it was a priority target, firing its main cannon and scoring a direct hit. However, by then, the ship was past them. "All point alert...a ship has breached perimeter line 1...scramble all sabres. Target is to be disabled," it announced .

"Rook, a time jump would come in handy right now," said Ben.

"The temporal drive is offline. We shall have to sausage it from here," said Rook.

"That's 'hotdog it'," said Ben before they made their ship zoom forward.

The ship immediately dived into the mess of webbing that connected the various planetary bodies in the Anur System, easily weaving through them before several tracers shot by, followed by several fighters. "Unidentified ship. We have you tagged. Follow us on heading 4 dash 9. If you deviate we will destroy you. Do you copy?" said an American-accented voice, though with a hint of reptilian hissing.

"What way is that anyways?" asked Ben.

A second hail of gunfire however indicated the pilots had lost patience, and their burst firing indicating they weren't going to fall for the 'trick em into flying into a rock' form of trick flying. "If you're going to fly somewhere, I suggest doing it now," said Skurd.

As if the universe was listening, the last of the webbing cleared to show a small armada sitting in orbit, a huge vessel easily 2 miles long commanding the sight, a hail of heavy rounds of both solid and energy filling the sky and the Plumber scanner picking up a storm of chatter.

"Uh, Rook, did we ever get around to putting in that cloaking shield?" asked Ben.

"No, you have repeatedly said that a time machine does not require a cloaking shield as they can disappear literally before anyone can notice them," said Rook.

Another hit was felt at that, the controls sparking. "Prepare for crash landing," said Rook as he tried to stabilize the Time Cycles' descent.

* * *

><p>Blackstar 9 was one of the more extreme marine teams on tech search when they got the call that some ship was breaching containment. "Heh, how far do you think it'll get? The frogs barely made it past he auto turrets," said one.<p>

"You sure it's the frogs?" asked another, "I'm picking up temporal energy from that ship."

"Don't matter. I hear the boss has done his share of time travel. Have the computer...there we go. Turret swatted their time drive. Let's see em try anything else...oh they got to the fighter picket, 50 creds say they make it to the fleet," said a fourth marine cheerfully .

"Oh, there they go already," said the third marine.

"All ground teams, be prepared. Bogey is headed planetside. Arrest all survivors. That is an order. Commander is en route to oversee," said a voice from control, causing the marines to groan and head for the several scorpion tanks that was their transport.

* * *

><p>The ship had crashed not too far from one of the 'stitches' that covered the planet. As such, the ground was a tiny bit unstable.<p>

"Ok marines, take up positions!" yelled a captain, his squad jumping from their vehicles and taking cover, a couple hefting twin barreled rocket launchers.

"You are surrounded. Come out with your appendages visible and held above your head!" called a trooper as the scorpion tanks aimed .

One of the cockpits opened and an alien wearing blue armor stepped out with his hands up. "Weird, scanners say he's a Revonnahgander, didn't think they ever leave Revonnah," said one of the marines. "Ok, that's clearly a two-person craft, where's your co-pilot?" demanded another marine.

"He is very, very close," said the Revonnahgander. Just then, the ground beneath them started shaking quite violently.

"Seismic, seismic, everyone get clear!" yelled an anthro cat marine, the group scattering as Armordrillo surfaced and was immediately peppered with useless machinegun fire as the other marines opened fire

"Well, that certainly made new friends," said Skurd dryly.

"Just give me something to blast them with," said Armordrillo. Skurd extended his slime down Armordrillo's arms and over his hands which changed into Water Hazard's. "That'll do," said Armordrillo before hosing down the marines.

A second later, something whizzed past his head and caused a rock tower to explode to dust, Armordrillo turning to see the scorpion tank correcting its aim to fire again, which it did so . "Better take that out," said Armordrillo before pounding the ground and causing a fissure to open up under the tank.

The crew were obviously smart as they were already jumping out, just before the tank tipped into the new void, getting stuck half way. A second later, several missiles slammed into him, the marines switching to their rocket launchers.

"Ow, ok, time to change players," said Armordrillo before slapping the Omnitrix. With a burst of green light, he was now Gravattack.

However, the marines seemed to be falling back, as if making room for something. "Oi...you got a receipt for that?" said a mechanical distorted voice.

Gravattack turned to see someone who was wearing what looked like heavy armor that was shaped a lot like an anthro dragon. "You some guy the Forever Knights kicked out or something?" asked Gravattack.

"Those jokers can't afford me," said the figure smugly, raising his arm so the top of the wrist was pointed, a small gun barrel visible before it raised its other and aimed at Rook. "Don't even think about it," it said calmly .

Gravattack quickly raised an arm and started massively increasing the armored guy's pull of gravity. The figure smirked before firing, the shot not enough to hurt but enough to daze before it leapt off its perch and delivered a double kick to Gravattack's chest with some impressive power behind it, backflipping to land in a crouch .

"Ok, you're strong enough to fight with increased weight," said Gravattack, "But how about without weight?" With that, Gravattack reversed his power, causing the figure to float upwards uncontrollably. The figure seemed to struggle for a minute before two plumes of blue flame ignited and he flew back, firing as he did

Gravattack floated upwards as he shifted to his planet form, redirecting his gravity powers to pull this guy into orbit. The figure just continued to fire before letting himself drop onto Gravattack and dropping a blue orb. "Have a tazer bomb, good for whatever tech ails you," he sneered, taking off again .

The figure didn't get very far before suddenly Gravattack's orbit grabbed him and spun him around before throwing him into the ground. He quickly threw away the tazer bomb into the upper atmosphere before activating the Omnitrix. Rath landed on top of the figure and shouted, "Déjame decirte algo, tipo que dice ser demasiado caro para los Caballeros Eternos! Rath va a libra esa armadura de los suyos hasta que lo que hay dentro se expulse de manera que Rath puede hacer aún más golpes!"  
>The figure cocked his head before clicking its neck, swapping the translator to the correct language. "Say again?" it asked calmly .<p>

Rath growled and snapped, "Skurd, Rath sigue hablando español! ¿Cómo puede alguien entender insultos y remontadas increíbles de Rath, cuando nadie puede entender Rath? Fijar ahora!"

"Uno momento," said Skurd before there was a beep and he said, "You're free to mangle the English vocabulary again."

"Finally! Now as Rath was saying-" started Rath.

A second later, Rath was sent flying as the figure fired both blasts into his chest. "Ok...that was new. Oh well, let's see how strong this armor really is," muttered the figure before it heard a click behind him.

"Surrender now and I shall be forced to fire," said Rook behind the figure, holding his Proto-Tool to the figure's back.

"Oh, a plasma blaster, you sure that's a good move?" said the figure, before hearing a beeping from Rath and he turned back into Ben, seemingly surprising the figure. "Hey, don't I know you?" it said .

"A lot of people know me," said Ben, "I am pretty famous."

"Ben, I do not think now is the time for boasting," said Rook.

"His name's Ben?" said the figure, before using the distraction to spin and grab the Proto-Tool. "No guns today," it said, the helmet hissing before splitting into segments. The segments separated to reveal a face Ben hadn't seen for quite some time.

"Matt? What are you doing here?" asked Ben.

"Finding an evil doomsday weapon on a planet full of b-movie monsters and Loboans. Why are you ruining the only missions that's gone for me without a hitch?" said Matt, glaring pointedly.

"Well, when it looks like someone's doing an invasion with a copy of one of the biggest ships in the multiverse, some people might object," said Ben.

Matt glared equally. "Other people shouldn't keep universe destroying doomsday weapons on a planet that looks like it's held together with glue and duct tape," he snapped .

"I believe you are mistaken," said Rook, "On our last visit of Anur Transyl, we detected no doomsday-type weaponry upon this planet."

"Did your ship have scanners capable of reading a newspaper on Earth from the dimension next door? Also, who the hell are you?" said Matt .

"I am Rook Blonko, Plumber officer and assigned partner to Ben Tennyson," said Rook, "And if I'm not mistaken, are you not Admiral Matthew J. Lynch of the Avalarian Alliance?"

"Admiral? As in mainstream? A desk job? I've shot people for suggesting less. Come to think of it, you're both under arrest till I find the doomsday thingy and throw it in the nearest black hole," snapped Matt as his men approached.

"Nuh uh, you're under arrest for blowing up every ship you came across getting here," said Ben.

"I've got the army and the machineguns and I know your little toy takes ten minutes to recharge. Also the ones that exploded were all assholes who tried to shoot us first," snapped Matt .

"So far our scans have shown that only Incursean ships tried to oppose their progress," said Rook.

"Rook, we're supposed to be supporting _our_ side," said Ben.

"Look, can you just stop it? It's bad enough the locals are so twitchy. We've kept scans to the unbuilt areas but we've ran out of those...whatever's setting off the alarm bells is in the town or the surrounding settlements," snapped Matt loudly .

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" asked Ben, "For all we know, you're another evil Matt from another alternate dimension or something."

"Not met one yet. But let me be clear. If one of you so much as dented any of my team's equipment, I'll make you wish I'd never been bor-" he began before seeing the tank. "Heh...ehehehehe...AHAHAHAH...AAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" he said, his laugh getting steadily more manic .

"Ok, no one else laughs like that, he's definitely Matt," said Ben.

"YOU'RE DEAD TENNYSON!" screamed Matt, lunging at Ben.

* * *

><p>"Ok, now then, Matt..." said Kala.<p>

Matt, sporting a black eye and several scratches, muttered, "Sorry I tried to vaporize you."

"And Ben..." prompted Kala.

"Rath is sorry for pummeling you, even though you really deserved it," said Rath stubbornly.

"That's good. If either of you behave like children again, I'll get out Mr. Roasty again," Kala said.

"I still do not see why Mrs. Lynch is using a flamethrower," said Rook, "I have heard that her pyrokinesis is proficient enough to compare to a Pyronite's."

"That's not my sister. She's far more violent." said Matt, with a hint of pride

"I was not referring to Chloe Lynch. I was referring to Kala Lynch nee Triseptus," said Rook, looking at his Proto-Tool's computer with some confusion.

Matt paused before asking politely, "Can I see that computer please?"

"As you wish," said Rook, handing the Proto-Tool over.

Matt looked at it before nodding and taking another look. "6 years...we went forward 6 years..." he said in a shaking voice before saying something in Splitter into his earpiece that quickly descended into a rather angry shouting match that ended with his earpiece tazering him for some reason.

"Well that explains a lot," said Ben.

"Indeed," said Rook, "However, one must look on the bright side. Since there are documents pertaining to events involving Captain Lynch that cover the last 6 years, it is a sure indication that he and his crew are to return to their proper time."

"Yes, Aria, you blanket jam all infonet connections, NO SPOILERS!" Matt snapped, his years of being fried by lightning meaning he'd already recovered .

"Ok, well, now that the awkward part's done, mind giving us a better explanation about what kind of doomsday weapon you're after? It couldn't be worse than the Anilyog."

"The Anihilaarg," corrected Rook.

"That? Nah, that recreates the universe once it's done, barely class 3. This is doomsday stuff. Remember Tuatara?" said Matt darkly .

"Vividly," said Ben.

"He was made by a class 8 tech pathogen, this thing was apparently class 12," said Matt calmly .

"Can pathogenic technology really advance that high?" asked Rook.

"I have the scars on my shoulder to prove it. We don't know what this class 12 is. Could be anything: a bomb, leftover terraforming tech from the Atlantean era, or something else. That is why my men are turning the planet upside down. These things don't come with a manual usually meaning we need to find it and smash it," said Matt .

"Well, I suppose I can help with this one," said Ben, "I mean, I'm pretty good at finding long lost artifacts."

"Since when have you ever found any artifacts on your own?" asked Rook.

"SILENCE!" yelled Matt, before his comm beeped.

"Commander, this is search six. We got a potential mob on our hands. We need backup," said a desperate voice .

Matt gave an annoyed sigh before saying, "I'll be right there."

"You know, it'd be easier for you if you had a friend on this planet," said Ben, "Like a local Plumber who's the only representative posted in this system."

"Fine, just the times on the Rustbucket. Aria, those people who came in on the ship, add em to the spiderbot IFF," Matt said with a sigh.

* * *

><p>A marine peered out before tapping the side of his helmet to turn on his megaphone. "This is your last warning. This search is mandatory. The tech that is in this settlement is extremely hostile. A cash reward will be-" he said before being forced to duck as a rock flew past his head, the squad holding energy shields in front of themselves.<p>

The locals were not welcoming of the newcomers. They had alien versions of torches and pitchforks, as well as picket signs that translated to such things as 'No More Monsters!' and 'Go Away Monsters!'

"This is your last warning. You are interfering in a NSC military operation. Lethal force will be employed in-ouch!" yelled the same marine before a well-thrown piece of fruit knocked him backwards

As the rotten produce continued to fly, one of the troopers said to another, "Am I the only one who's thinking this is extremely ironic?"

* * *

><p>Matt watched from between the fingers of the hand on his face as his men were pelted by what seemed like the cast of the Addams family. "It was going so well," he moaned, he, Rook and Ben watching from an alley<p>

"Seriously, do we look anywhere near monstrous?" asked Ben.

"Ben, the standards are different here," said Rook, "_We_ are the monsters on this planet."

"All units, hold positions," said Matt, folding his helmet back into position before walking into view, firing a wrist shot into the air to get the mob's attention. "Ladies, gentlemen, and miscellaneous other, can I have your attention please?" he called, his suit magnifying the noise . There were more than a few growls and grumbles, particularly from the Loboans.

"My men are here to make sure your world doesn't end up consigned to history. I've seen firsthand what happens when people find ancient tech and press the wrong button. They're usually found on ruins in asteroid belts. The last thing I want is to see that happen here. We are not invaders and as soon as we find the tech, we are out of your lives forever," Matt called .

There was more growling from the mob before a voice said, "This alien speaks the truth!" Everyone turned to see a Loboan wearing a Plumber's uniform. "These aliens may appear hideous and aggressive, but have they ever did anything to hurt us?" called the Loboan, "Must we always lash out against outsiders just because of what they look like? We should judge people on their actions, not their appearances, no matter how ugly they appear to us."

Matt looked up, his armor supplying a few names, though it seemed to say this Loboan was still a cadet...and at the academy still. "Stupid time difference. I give my personal assurance that if any of my men cause trouble before them that I will come down like a ton of bricks on them but we _have_ to check buildings and the caves underneath. If you've found anything unusual we will buy the item from you for a fair price," he said .

"How much could you pay?" called a Transylian.

"For a class 12 hostile tech, standard bounty is...20 million NSC credits," said Matt, more or less on automatic. The locals didn't seem impressed until Matt sighed and withdrew some credits from his account to show them. They probably didn't know how much it was worth, but they knew gold when they saw it.

"This is a standard NSC credit. Probably worth about...20,000 universal creds here and..." began Matt before the mob lunged at him, most of them holding junk .

"This is gonna take all day," moaned Ben.

* * *

><p>"No, for the 400th time, we are not looking for a picture that ages instead of our real selves," said Matt in a dark mood . The good news was that the locals no longer feared and despised the visitors. The bad news was now they were trying to hock basically anything they can find, including a couple of kitchen sinks. Matt, in true merc style, had, as usual, spread the misery around and had gotten Ben and Rook to take his place on the search teams.<p>

* * *

><p>"Ok, this castle's the last place. Drone got a good read from here, probably some cavern the damn thing was built on. Locals said some creep used to live here so watch for booby traps," said the team captain, ignoring the three Plumbers.<p>

"Do you think that Zs'Skayr has already reconstituted himself yet?" asked Rook.

"Hard to say," said Ben, "Not sure how fast he can piece himself back together on his own and Dr. Viktor might still be mad about the whole Transyl thing."

"Wait...that death trap's occupied?" said the team captain, looking at the doorway, which swung open to reveal the aforementioned Dr. Viktor.

"Hey, Viktor, buddy..." started Ben.

"Just because I aided you against ze Vladat does not mean ve are 'buddies'," said Viktor in a cold Austrian accent.

"Dr. Viktor...you're the owner?" said the team captain, pushing past Ben .

"Ze steward," corrected Viktor, "As soon as the master revives, ze castle vill be his again."

"By order of the NSC tech recovery division, we have to search the premises and the caverns below for a possible class 12 technological artifact," said the captain, holding up a data pad.

"I do not care who you say you are," said Viktor, "I vill not be having strangers burglarizing the master's castle."

"If you don't let us in, there might not be a castle, or a planet the castle's supposed to be on," snapped the captain .

"Do you really think zat Zs'Skayr vould know of such a thing in his castle and not have some means of securing it?" said Viktor scoffing, "Be gone or I vill have ze pumpkins force you off the premises."

"You mean the pumpkins Lt Kala's napalming with Mr. Roasty?" said another marine, stepping aside to see a pumpkin fleeing from the giggling Kala.

"Odd, ze pumpkins should be absorbing the flames," said Viktor.

"There is a limit to how much they can handle," said Rook.

"Guys, let me handle this," said Ben, "If he's waiting for Ghostfreak, I'll give him Ghostfreak." He activated the Omnitrix and in a flash, he was suddenly a small fairylike alien.

"Yeah, real impressive. Sir, if you don't let us into the castle, I have a feeling the commander will just order us to drop damn nuke on you and check the crater. He's in a real bad mood," said the captain .

"I think you have outstayed your velcome," said Viktor as his lightning rods started charging up.

"I got this one," chirped Pesky Dust, "Dr. Viktor's had such a busy night. He really need to catch some z's." He tossed a handful of green dust into Viktor's face, which made immediately fall over and start snoring.

"Nice work, peewee. Team one, sweep the first floor. Demo, blow a hole in their basement so we can get into the caverns. Team three and you Plumbers...with me, we'll check the upper floors," ordered the captain, his teams running inside .

"I got a quicker way to find it," said Pesky Dusk before he head his hands over Viktor's head and they started glowing.

Viktor fretted in his sleep and muttered, "You vill not have my brain, Xarion."

After a few seconds, Pesky Dust turned back into Ben and said, "We need to head to the dungeon, bottom level."

"All squads, head to dungeon, bottom floor. Containment teams, pull out of the town. Tell the boss we got this thing," said the captain with a smirk.

* * *

><p>"Man, whoever owned this place went all out with this dungeon," said Matt. They had passed several alien versions of medieval torture equipment as well stuff that looked much more modern, "Who was this Zs'Skayr guy anyways?"<p>

"Oh, that's Ghostfreak, the evil version that is," said Ben, "Turns out he had his own name."

"Oh, that's nice. I'll update my 'people to obliterate' list when I go back to my time," said Matt cheerfully, looking as his team were scanning around before focusing on a section of the floor.

"It's here," one marine said, slamming a disc on the floor.

"Oh boy...run away!" yelped Matt, running out the room with the others before the disc charge obliterated the floor and revealed a huge cavern below.

The team dropped down and shined their lights around. "I believe I have found something," said Rook, his light falling upon what looked like a coffin leaned against the wall.

"Oh boy, nothing good could be in that," said Ben.

"Still, we have to check and see, against my better judgment," said Matt.  
>What looked like a robotic skeleton kicked the lid off its hinges proceeded to knock the head off one of the marines before looking around with red optics. "Intruders detected...obliterating."<p>

"Come on, Omnitrix, don't fail me now," said Ben as he selected an alien and pushed the core down. In a flash, he was a small gremlin-like alien in an aviator's outfit.

"Yes, yes, Jury Rigg!" he said excitedly.

The creature's head whipped around from choking another marine to spot him. "Scanning...target: Devimachina. Threat to Gaia Mirror: extreme. Conclusion: obliterate," it said in a dark tone, throwing the coughing marine back and advancing .

"Not good, not good," said Jury Rigg, "Skurd, need a weapon quick."

"Coming right up," said Skurd as slime covered one of Jury Rigg's arm and changed it into what looked like a gun made out of Legos.

"Bloxx-lobber, yes!" said Jury Rigg excitedly before shooting explosive blocks at the robot.

The bot cocked its head before seemingly teleporting, though a storm of dust indicated it had moved conventionally. "Threat level: rising. Unidentified parasite confirmed," it said in the same tone, claws crackling with energy sprouting from its fingers .

"Oh dear, I think we need to gain some distance," said Skurd before making Astrodactyl's jetpack appear on Jury Rigg's back.

The bot moved again, jumping up and grabbing Jury Rigg's leg and pulling down before throwing him at a wall. "Target...neutralized...removing," it said darkly before turning to face a muzzle.

"Boo," said Matt before blowing the bot's head off, a fountain of oil-like liquid coming out before the bot fell sideways .

Ben changed back and said, "Ok, that's the only line of defense, right?"

"I hope so..." said Matt, looking around as the team medics saw to the injured before spotting that the coffin didn't have a back panel. "After you," he said, gesturing .

As they walked through, they soon found themselves passing several preserved heads, presumably from less fortunate trespassers. Even the Thep Khufan heads looked decidedly dead. As they were passing the final head, it suddenly sang out, "I ain't got no body and no body cares for me!" There was some universal screaming before the 'head' re-constituted as NegaMorph. "Your faces...priceless…" he laughed .

Matt's eye twitched as he said, "NegaMorph, just because I can't manipulate plasma anymore doesn't mean I won't inflict heavy pain on you if you don't explain how you got here."

"I got in through a crack in the wall," said NegaMorph, "But when that goon noticed me, I played dead. Good thing it doesn't know how to scan plasma-based beings."

Matt however was looking at a bat-like skeleton on the floor. "Revenites...dead ones. Looks like they've been here centuries...and look, terminals. This was some kind of lab," he said, gesturing to several apparent stones with symbols arranged in keyboard fashion .

"Revenites? Those like Vladats?" asked Ben.

"Never heard of Vladats. Revenites were some kinda evil alien vampires. Before me and my sis ever got to Nullspace, Combine and NSC teamed up to eradicate them," said Matt, wiping dust off the keyboard and causing them to light up, strips lighting up along the walls, illuminating a ship in the distance, heavily damage and useless and another sealed door.

"Kr'ka no din zak vor," said a voice.

"What did it say?" asked Rook.

"Not a clue," said Matt, the voice repeating the same words .

"Skurd, mind switching on the translator?" asked Ben.

"It is on," said Skurd, "This language simply predates translator technology."

"Or it isn't equipped to handle language from another part of the multiverse," said Matt.

"Translation complete...awaiting orders," said the voice at that .

"Oh, that's convenient," said Matt, "I suppose I should be used to that by now. Computer, run data logs."

"Error...this facility answers only to researcher Archon Azedor," said the computer .

"Who's that?" asked Ben.

"Presumably Slim down there," said NegaMorph, pointing at the skeleton.

"Computer, is there any non-classified intelligence?" asked Matt.

The computer seemed to wait before saying, "This facility is an observation laboratory used for production of new terraforming technology. The Gaia Mirror was the result."

"Mirror? What mirror?" asked Ben.

"Information restricted," said the computer before a marine called out "What about this freaky thing?"

The guys went over to look and found themselves starting at a tall wall mirror. However, instead of their normal reflections, they had monstrous reflections that resembled the natives. Matt and Rook's reflections looked like Loboans while Ben's looked like a zombified version of him. "Scans indicate this thing's the tech we've been looking for," said a marine.

"You're kidding," said NegaMorph, "All this brouhaha over a dumb funhouse mirror?" He walked up to the mirror and looked at his reflection. It was no surprise that his appearance was unaltered. It was a surprise when the reflection screamed and ran through a door reflected in the mirror.

"Nah, look at this, emitters. This thing must send out a pulse of something...nasty," said another marine .

"Zs'Skayr had a mirror like this upstairs," said Ben, "It created evil monster reflections that came out and attack you."

"Musta been a knock off," said Matt, tapping the mirror which rippled like liquid before he slapped his hands together, "Well, least we got it. Captain, get an engineering team down here. I want this mirror in a Pelican in ten minutes and in the sun in half an hour."

"You're just gonna toss it in the sun?" asked Ben.

"It might look like a party trick, but it's a doomsday device," said Matt, "Don't know how it is, but we're not taking chances."

"Sir, we got a problem. Auto-turrets in quadrant 6 just all went dark at the same time," said a voice in Matt's ear at that

"Now what?" groaned Matt.

"Hold on...sir, we have sensor silhouettes approaching from quadrant 6. Multiple Incursean warships in attack formation," said the voice .

"Not them again," groaned Ben, "I hope Attea's not with them."

"Ok, I think our stay's over. I'll stay and make sure the mirrors moved. Aria, get the ship to code red. Those Incursean idiots do not set one foot on this planet," snapped Matt.

* * *

><p>On the Incursean command ship, the leader of the Incurseans was being addressed. "Lord Empress Attea, light of the Incursean Empire, destroy of galaxies, keeper of-"<p>

"Get to the point already, Raff!" snapped Attea.

"We're almost on top of the ship that blew up our border patrols. Looks like it's parked on top of Anur Transyl. Must be in pretty bad shape, sensors say it's breaking up," said Raff, looking at a sensor feed.

Attea took one look at the feed and snapped, "That's a fleet deployment, you dolt! Scramble the armada!"

On cue, several shots flew out of the storm of webs, several striking destroyers, sending them out of control or blowing them apart. A line of ships could be seen hovering in place before a hologram appeared on the ship's viewscreen. "Have I got your attention?" said Aria .

"What are you humans doin' out here?" demanded Attea.

"Sightseeing. I don't believe the NSC's business is any of yours," sneered Aria .

"This ain't the NSC's turf," snapped Attea.

"Neither is it the Incurseans'," replied Aria. Aria seemed to pause before saying darkly, "Is it a game of firepower? I believe we trump you there by a few centuries."

"You got no idea what the Incursean Armada is capable of," said Attea.

"Oh yes, is that why we blew away 4 of your precious destroyers in one volley?" sneered Aria .

"Listen Missy, you don't want me to come over there. If you got something worth nabbin', I'm takin' it," said Attea.

"I have better things to do than listen to the baseless posturing of a spoiled brat," said Aria, "So if you're going to do something, get it over with already."

Attea looked furious at that as the signal went dead. "What are you waitin' for? Start firin'!" she snapped .

"Uh, Empress, should we not determine a weakspot to-" started Raff before he had to hop back to avoid getting shot.

"I said start firin'!" snapped Attea.

* * *

><p>The battle meanwhile was definitely getting noticed, the sky filled with explosions as the Novus Star's fleet went to town on the Incursean fleet. Needless to say there was panic...and in all this Matt was having a nervous breakdown as yet another supposedly easy mission circled into the drain of 'smeg' again .<p>

"We weren't even supposed to be here. We weren't even supposed to be in this time!" snapped Matt. Rook and Scout were naturally puzzled as to why Matt was choosing this moment to have a full-on freak out, but for Ben, this was just bringing back memories.

Just then, an Incursean fighter ship pulled up beside them. "Halt, hand over the weapon or face annihilation," said one of the soldiers on the ship.

The reply was Matt firing a rather accurate blast into the fighter's engine sending it into the ground, its crew staggering out and meeting a ballistic Matt coming the other way. Needless to say, even NegaMorph winced a bit before he said over the clonking noises, "The NSC still has that 'reading rights' rule right? He's _really_ reading them."

"Matt mellows out later," said Ben before reconsidering his words and saying, "Well, a bit more. Ok, he at least doesn't go berserk every time."

NegaMorph nodded before sidestepping as an Incursean trooper was sent flying to land in a dazed heap, Matt bashing the other one repeatedly against his fighter snapping "STOP HITTING YOUR SHIP!" over and over .

"So, Matt and Kala eventually tie the knot?" asked NegaMorph.

"Yeah, but I probably shouldn't talk a lot about that," said Ben.

Matt finally let go of the pilot, the luckless Incursean making dazed burblings before sliding down. "Stupid gits!" he snapped before the first pilot fired at him, the laser bouncing off the armor and into the mirror which began to ripple more, several crystals in the frame lighting up before the Incursean's reflection, that of a Thep Khufan and which was the only visible whole one, turned to look at him, turned into light and shot at him. The Incursean yelped and tried to avoid the beam, but it hit him anyways.

When the light cleared, a confused looking Thep Khufan with green coloring was looking around before spotting the group, screaming 'MONSTERS' and running away. "Oh...that's why it's class 12," said Matt cheerfully .

"Huh, wonder what it would do for me," said NegaMorph, looking at the mirror. His reflection was hiding behind a seat and only stole brief glances at NegaMorph.

"Clearly your DNA is too warped to have an Anur equivalent," said Rook, "Which makes me wonder why it would be set to Anurians in the first place."

"Terraformer, what if it was intended to turn people into revenites? If it decided the Anurs had superior DNA…" said Matt darkly .

"Revenites were basically alien doppelgangers, weren't they?" asked NegaMorph, "I mean, that had that whole bloodsucking, UV intolerance thing, but they were closer to chameleons than vampires, weren't they?"

"Yeah, no wonder their terraformer decided to ignore them," said Matt darkly .

"Seems pretty small scale for a terraformer," said Ben.

"You saw what one laser bolt did. Imagine if you fed a reactor to it," said Matt, the image already in his mind, a wall of energy terraforming everything it touched without mercy, changing the compatible and reducing the incompatible to DNA sludge.

"In that case, would not throwing it into the sun have that effect?" asked Rook.

"Fine, black hole it is. Or we have the spiderbots dismantle it," said Matt casually, the group ducking for a second as an Incursean fighter went overhead, chased by two Broadswords from the Novus Star.

"Shouldn't we wrap this thing or something?" asked Ben, getting a healthy distance between him and the mirror.

"Well, we shone lights on it...must need a certain amount of energy. WHERE THE HECK'S THAT PELICAN?" said Matt, snapping the last part, the aforementioned Pelican flying into view

"Was not that model recalled for terrible flight performance?" asked Rook.

"It's a brand new...I hate time travel," snapped Matt, the back opening up and two engineers running out.

"To be honest, these things drop like pine cones," said NegaMorph.

Matt glared and threw NegaMorph into the mirror at that. NegaMorph vanished through the surface and did not come out the other side. The engineers turned the mirror around, but NegaMorph didn't appear in any angle. "Should we not be concerned by that?" asked Rook.

"He'll be fine. He's been killed once before. Didn't even stop him," said Matt cheerfully, helping push the mirror in. "TO THE NEAREST BLACK HOLE!" he called cheerfully, spoilt slightly as the engineer dropped the mirror frame on his foot just as the Pelican's bay door closed

"I'm thinking we'd be better off with some other ship," said Skurd.

* * *

><p>However, it wasn't just the Incurseans watching. On Luna Lobo, a single ship that would have looked familiar to the people who found the mirror was watching. "Research Archon...the mirror has been removed from containment. The security drone is not responding...orders?" asked the computer calmly to a shadowy shape .<p>

"The mirror must not leave this system," said the shadowy figure, "Prepare anti-aircraft guns."

"Confirmed...target traced to NSC transport vessel. Alert...an NSC tech retrieval fleet is in-system," said the computer .

"Really? You don't say," said the figure sarcastically.

"Firing would cause a 92% probability that our position would be detected and a hostile response would occur," said the computer.

The figure paused. "Wait till those Incursean ships get close, then fire. It'll look like they did it," he said calmly .

"Confirmed," said the computer.

"Ok...FIRE!" snapped the figure.

* * *

><p>Three plasma bursts shot out as a Pelican dived through the atmosphere to try and lose two Incursean fighters. The first took the Pelican's left wing off, sending it into a tailspin while the other two blew the fighters to shreds.<p>

* * *

><p>"Targets neutralized...alert, survivors detected...scans also indicate the explosion as partially activated the mirror," said the computer, the shape sighing.<p>

"Open the airlock, I'll get the mirror personally."

* * *

><p>While the new armor did protect Matt from most damage, it didn't protect him from all damage. Namely from cushioning big falls. He settled for groaning, his whole body aching, except for his foot that felt ice cold. He managed to raise his head to see that said foot was up to the knee in the mirror. "Oh...smeg," he moaned, jumping as he heard a begging voice cut off by an energy blast before something tore the bay doors off their hinges.<p>

"Well...the great admiral... No...no, it's not you is it...well not yet," said a calm cultured voice .

"If you're gonna try and finish me off, you're going to be asking for more trouble than you can pay," said Matt with more bravado than he felt.

"Really? I can see from my scanner that four of your ribs are broke, one of your lungs is punctured and you have concussion. You won't be able to drink a cup of tea, let alone fire a gun, you idiot. I could kill you now or, even better, leave you for the feral Loboans," laughed the figure .

"I've handled savage werewolves before and those were the ones with bad bites," said Matt.

"It's not the Loboans' bite to be feared, it's their bark," said the figure. Matt gulped as a howl was heard, the figure looking at the mirror. "That is mine," he said angrily.

"Yeah right. The guy this belonged to has left his bones on the floor of the room we found it in," said Matt.

"No, that was my assistant, poor fool. The war caste wanted my creation. We objected," said the figure angrily before aiming a remote at the mirror.

"Override accepted...activating slow burn," said a voice.

The figure then stepped aside to let several more drones in who carefully lifted up the mirror and carried it out, another carefully removing Matt's leg from it. "Enjoy, a little present for a graverobber," sneered the figure.

"Hey, get back here," said Matt weakly before what sounded like a wolf pack howling was heard.

"Oh, you should fit right in if you get upset enough," laughed the Archon, vanishing like mist.

"Oh, this is gonna suck," groaned Matt before jumping as the sound of plasma fire was heard and a drop trooper peered in. "We got him, get the medics in here," he called .

* * *

><p>Fortunately, the Incurseans were not too hard to force into retreat. Which was just about the brightest point of an otherwise failure of a mission.<p>

Chloe, to the surprise of some of the crew, wasn't the pit of incomprehensible fury they expected when Matt was brought into the medical bay...however Kala happily took up that role and then some. She might not have the incredible pyrokinetic power she had previously, but at least had her old experiment power of throwing fiery plasma orbs which she was doing with great fury.

Luckily, given the size of the Novus Star, that meant that she got the medical bay to herself and the crew were taking bets on when she calmed down. "This is actually a usual day," explained Wilson to the three Plumber agents.

"I rather pity Matt for having her for a future wife," said Skurd.

"I'm not surprised they tie the knot. They're crazy for each other," said Techo, before saying, "Matt said some creep who said he was that Archon took the mirror...and given he had those drones with him and our track record, I believe him."

"But Matt said the Revenites have been extinct for centuries," said Rook.

"We've found a few exceptions," said Aria.

"Yeah, one of those freaks got aboard the ship while most of us were in stasis," said a marine, adding, "Why do you think we're following the nutter?"

"Yeah, but I'm still not crazy about hunting for him on one of the most dangerous worlds in the Anur system," said Ben.

"Actually, considering the radioactive desert of Anur Khufos, unfathomable swamps and oceans of Anur Milligan, the shrouded mysteries of Anur Phaetos , and the death world that was once Anur Vladias, I would say that Luna Lobo is not the most dangerous world," said Rook.

"Fine, the most dangerous _moon_ in the Anur system," said Ben.

"It doesn't matter. Unless an Incursean pilot got really lost in the retreat, there was a jump point going in the opposite direction. Whoever took the mirror left the system," said Aria calmly .

"Well, let's get moving then," snapped Kala, "I want to rip out this bastard's ribs!"

"That's the trouble. It passed through Sol but we lost it from there...maybe SECT spotted something?" said Chris faintly, wilting as Kala increased her glare with each word .

"Let's just follow him until the trail warms up," said Ben.

Scout nodded. "Your computer knocked out all the communications as well. I'll need to deliver my report to the Magister personally," he said pointedly, the words 'Consider it payment for wrecking said comms' all but unspoken.

"Alright, fine, full speed ahead," snapped Kala.

* * *

><p>"Still nothing, Magister. The jamming's ceased but we still can't reach Anur," said a technician .<p>

"Keep calling. I want to know what's going on over there," said Max.

"Yes, Magis...Magister. Something's decelerating from hyperspace just outside lunar orbit...it's big," the tech said, horrified before an incoming transmission was detected. "Orbital control, this is NSS Novus star, requesting orbital trajectory."

"Sir, isn't the Novus Star supposed be stationed in the Andromeda Galaxy?" asked Jerry.

"Apparently it still is," said Max, "Patch them through."

The com flickered before showing a busy video and a full-masked individual looking like a crystal version of an anthro red dragoness. "Tell me where the Archon creep went now!" snapped the figure before the feed cut off and the image of an African American woman replaced it.

"Forgive Ms. Triseptus, she is not in a reasonable mood right now," said Aria., "I am Aria, currently in charge because A: Miss Triseptus here is in what can only be described as a bad mood and B: the commander's in the medical bay speed healer for multiple broken bones. We have several of your people on board who interfered with a tech recovery operation."

Max sighed and said, "And I suppose you're not just here to drop off Ben and Rook."

"I will require a wireless access to your sensor net and all files. Our quarry passed through here and might even still be landed," said Aria before she looked off-screen and Max saw Matt walk into view, looking worse than when he'd gone a round with Tuatara.

"Maxwell," said Matt.

"If you're going after this guy because of what he did to you, I wouldn't recommend it," said Max, "Revenge can make a fellow really ugly."

"Oh, I'm not wanting payback, ok, maybe a little," said Matt, "It's mostly Kala who wants payback. We're just trying to keep him from getting away from a terraforming device of doomsday proportions."

Aria nodded. "The computer actually updated our dangerous tech rating by 4 levels to accommodate it. If someone activates it, and we've seen what it does, Anur will have a brand new colony," she said darkly .

"Is it corrodium-based? It usually leaves a strong signature," said Max.

"No, we suspect it belongs to a race called revenites, extinct 1154 years ago when the NSC and Combine leadership took punitive action," said Aria .

Max turned to Patelliday and asked, "Can you call up all the interstellar traffic within the last hour?"

"Shouldn't be a problem," said Patelliday.

"I have something," said another tech, a view appearing from an orbital satellite, an arrow-shaped ship appearing the satellite zooming in and trying to compare it to known ships before a red beam lanced out, peeling up and reducing the view to static .

"Any other suspicious activity?" asked Max.

"No, there was a few sightings of the same ship before it seemed to blank out all the scans," said the tech.

Matt nodded. "EMR bomb, we use the same tech to insert teams. You won't find footage, though that means he's on world somewhere," he said .

"Hang on, I just picked up a subspace rip," said Patelliday, "It's fairly fresh, can't quite make out where the other end of it is."

"Nah...too obvious," said Matt calmly.

"Well, if I had to guess, I'd say this fella's left that rip open so he can make a quick getaway," said Patelliday.

"Yeah, no plasma signature, he just opened it and left it. Guy must be planetside," said a Novus tech .

"Where precisely?" demanded Matt.

"No way, too many ships on Earth coming and going. Needle in a haystack," said a crewmember .

"Well, if he's looking for something on Earth, there's only one-stop place that he'd go," said Max.

* * *

><p>"An entire alien colony?" said Matt, the group staring down Undertown's street. Chloe however looked extremely pleased. <em>"All these alien races...all these potential target practice people,"<em> she thought happily as Matt asked. "So...where's Gwen?"

"She's at college with Kevin," said Ben.

"Oh, Kevin's out of lockup, good for him. After he helped clean up that NYC outbreak, nice to know it got him parole," said Matt cheerfully .

"Uh...it's a long story," said Ben, "Probably shouldn't spoil it too much."

Matt nodded, looking up before glaring at a silhouette on an orange-armored truck. "That little porcupine..." he snapped.

"Let me guess, Argit cut you a bad deal once or something," said Ben.

"Nope, helped a Class Z almost dehydrate India," said Matt simply before his head whipped round like a hawk acquiring lunch. "Oh, speak of the laser target...OI, YOU!" he yelled, spotting the target of his rage .

"No refunds," said Argit automatically.

"Nah, this is more of a return. I'm returning a plasma magnum clip's contents TO YOUR FACE YOU DEMON-HELPING NUTBALL!" screamed Matt, Kala and Chloe trying to grab him .

"What's with this guy?" asked Argit.

"I honestly don't know this time," said Ben, "He's a time traveler so things might not make much sense around him."

Matt glared before pointing his plasma pistol up Argit's nose. "Captain Lynch, does Delhi ring a bell?" said Matt insanely .

"Uh...no, not really," said Argit.

Matt glared before pressing a button on his wrist comp, a shot of a rooftop appearing. "Explain this, rodent. Make it good and I'll only shoot your kneecap off," he said manically .

Argit peered at and said, "Oh wait, yeah, I told some crazy mutant lady some bogus rumor about something and she ended up dragging me along on her revenge thing. The only thing worth remembering from that is I owed the Vreedles more money."

"Ok, I understand it's probably been half a decade since then soooo...I'll give you a ten second head start," said Matt grinning a little manically.

"He's not serious, right?" asked Argit before Matt said happily "1...2...3..." Argit screamed and automatically shot out several quills before running.

"...4...ah smeg it...10!" screamed Matt, though luckily Rook and Kala dogpiled him before he could fire .

"Matt, we're not here to blow up Argit. We've got an evil mimic to catch, remember?" pointed out Ben.

"Can we blow the little jerk up later?" asked Matt before looking around to see Chloe and Chris snoring on the floor, the quills having hit them

"Not if you want to get on the bad side of his Techadon robots," said Ben, "Besides, he's kinda got a reputation as a 'hero' here and you'd be doing more harm than good if you blasted him without reason."  
>"Wait...Argit...the creep who helped a demon almost drink me...a hero...with class 6 tech at his disposal...is this an alternate timeline again?" asked Matt, looking around .<p>

"Yeah, I know, it's weird. Personally I think the Celestialsapiens like messing with my head," said Ben.

"Urgh...ok, this is your beat. You're a scumbag alien chameleon with an ego that planets orbit. Where would you go?" said Matt .

"Hmm...I bet ChamAlien could give us some insight," said Ben as he activated the Omnitrix. However, he ended up as Wildmutt instead.

"Ugh, how repulsive," said Skurd, "Hardly my choice of aliens." Wildmutt growled at Skurd who only said, "Sorry, dear boy, bit hard to make you out."

"Ok, lead the way, doggy," said Matt, looking at Techo, "Send Chris and Chloe after us when they wake up."

Techo nodded and said, "They should wake up soon. Want me to get some boys to back you up?"  
>Matt thought about it before saying, "Sure, why not?"<p>

"If we enlist too much manpower, it could alert the fugitive and allow him to slip away," said Rook, "I suggest a minimally-crewed team."

"Oh, and what makes you think you can boss me around?" asked Matt.

"My rank as Plumber Magister," said Rook.

"Fine, but I get to bring one of my guns," said Matt childishly .

Meanwhile, Wildmutt was sniffing around for a scent when he suddenly gave out a roar/bark. Matt and Rook watched as Ben headed off down the street. "I count that as yes," said Matt happily, running after him.

* * *

><p>"I hear you are the one to come to if I need equipment for a ship...why are some of your quills missing...and why are you talking vial holo?" said the Archon, looking at the trio of Techadon robots in front of him .<p>

"Let's just say I've met some bad company today," said Argit, "So, what kind of parts can Argitstix Security get for you?"

"A drix type energy crystal, four cases of grav rifles, two pounds of DRX -17 explosives and a positronic circuit board," said the Archon, his drones returning the glare of the Techadon robots, one causing Argit to gulp. Its optic was smashed revealing a reptilian eye .

"Uh, that stuff's not gonna be easy to get," said Argit.

"Why not?" demanded the Archon. "Well, most of those things are out of stock...everywhere. I might be able to that circuit board, but it's not gonna be cheap."

"Money is not an object. However, if you attempt to say, blackmail me, I will personally tear out your jugular," said the Archon icily .

"Uh, not a problem," said Argit, "I'll have that circuit for ya in a few days."

"I want it in one hour or I'll be forced to find someone who can," said the Archon personally, before pausing as one of the drones behind him slowly turned its head to peer at the door, "Alas, it appears it will have to be someone else. Drones, remove the witnesses."

* * *

><p>Not completely unsurprisingly, Wildmutt's nose led them to Argit's place of business. "I knew it, the little weasel!" snapped Matt, stomping forward, only for two Techadon bots to get in his way. "Out the way, you C-3P0 rejects!" snapped Matt .<p>

"Do you have an appointment?" asked one of them.

"There's a megalomaniac alien inside your building who's probably trying to eradicate your boss as we speak. I'd like to go in and shoot the aforementioned alien till he tells me to stop reading him his rights," said Matt in a mock cheerful voice .

"Do you have an appointment?" repeated the Techadon.

"It's an emergency. Lemme in, you jumped up toaster!" snapped Matt, kicking the bot .

The Techadon simply grabbed Matt by the head and started carrying him towards a nearby dumpster, ignoring his muffled protests. The bot simply dropped Matt inside the luckily empty dumpster and said "Please make an appointment during business hours." before the doors burst open and Argit ran out, two ghostly green orbs shooting out, one hitting a wall which rippled and fell into dust, two of the drones from Anur leaping through the doorway, surveying the crowd.

Wildmutt roared before leaping on top of one of the drones and biting it. The drone didn't even seem to flinch even as it was bit, before grabbing Wildmutt and throwing him into the dumpster next to Matt's. "New witnesses logged. Moderate damage to unit. Status: 54% battle efficient. Unlogged species. Status: Hostile witness. Action: Elimination." it said darkly, before its fellows lunged at the dumpster

Just then, the Omnitrix timed out and Ben said, "Bleh, this thing smelled bad enough as Wildmutt."

"Then how about something a bit more advanced now?" asked Matt.

"Uh, I need a minute to charge up," said Ben, "Think you can cover?"

"Error...target removed from play...re-acquiring..." said one of the drones, the two pausing before they finally realized they were being shot at, turning to see Rook and Kala firing repeatedly. "New targets aquired. Unidentified hybrid and Revonnahgander logged. Class 2 weapon technology. Threat: Moderate. Action: Elimination." before one of the drones lunged at Rook who easily dodged before it backhanded Kala into a wall while the other finally decided to continue towards Ben and Matt, who was trying to get his weapon to work .

"Ok, I'm good now," said Ben before changing into Feedback. "Ok, hit me with your best shot," said Feedback.

The drone paused, looking at feedback befo4re saying "Analysis: Energy weapons would result in mirrored attack. Conclusion: Switching to ballistic and melee weaponry," it said calmly, a clack coming from its wrist gun and its claws getting a few inches longer .

"Ok, didn't expect that," said Feedback.

"That's why you have me around," said Skurd before creating a Diamondhead sword, shield, and helmet for Feedback.

The drone tilted its head at that before aiming to shoot before a blast hit it in the side, Matt having gotten his guns working. "Error...Atlantean tech...reanalyzing..." it began before Ben brought the sword down on its shoulder. "Warning: system at 32%...23%...11%...system failure," it managed before Matt blew its head off at close range.

"All it takes is a little teamwork," said Feedback.

"Just like old times...except this time NegaMorph's a good guy," said Matt cheerfully.

* * *

><p>"Surrender and destruction will be rapid," said the drone calmly, attempting to eviscerate Rook, the blows always missing by a millimeter every time. Fortunately, Rook had gotten his Proto-Tool into its shield configuration by then, though that barely helped.<p>

The drone had finally settled back for firing rapid fire shots before pausing as it saw its fellow drones torn apart. "Alert: Combat conditions approaching uncontainable levels," it said, backing up, firing at both parties

"Ok, I think we got it on the ropes now," said Kala.

"I do not see any ropes," said Rook, sounding confused.

"Scanning...chance of capture of creator tech: 100%. Taking appropriate response," said the drone, putting its blaster under its chin and firing.

Kala blinked and said, "Ok, didn't expect that."

Matt looked around before spotting a third dumpster shaking. "Hmm…" he muttered before firing a low level tazer round at it, causing Argit to jump out of it with a yelp. "Hi, rat boy. Let's talk about the murderous robots, shall we?" said Matt cheerfully .

"They aren't mine! I swear!" yelped Argit.

"I kind of guessed that given one tried to kill us 2 days ago. Where's their owner?" snapped Kala, picking up Argit.

"He's in there!" said Argit, pointing at his building.

Matt and Kala looked at each other before running forward, Ben and Rook behind them. Matt peered round the doorway before running into the corridor, a sneering voice seemingly from everywhere saying, "Well, you seem to be looking well. NSC nanotech was always effective."

"If you knew anything about me, you'd know I'm very hard to put down," said Matt.

"Oh, I know all about you, Captain. All you have to do is let me leave and I will never trouble you or your own again. The mirror is mine. Take your punishment like, how do you say, a man? Well, while it still applies," sneered the voice

"What did you do to him, you monster?!" snapped Kala.

"Now that would spoil the surprise, wouldn't it?" said the voice.

Kala growled before tossing a fireball at the voice, the fireball illuminating a cloaked figure on a rafter holding a bulky pistol. "Hi," it sneered, firing a translucent blue ball of energy that pulverized the ground. The impact made both Matt and Kala stagger, enough time for the figure to slip away.

"Now then, what should I do with you four? Two reject Khans out of their time, a child playing with genetic technology beyond his understanding and an overevolved feline alien playing as lawgiver," sneered the voice.

"You do anything to us and the universe is doomed," said Kala.

"So? I could always find another universe to live in. Anyhow, have a little present, an overloaded gravity gun clip," laughed the figure, a small disc dropping down, beeping rapidly .

"Hang on, I got this," said Ben before changing into Gravattack.

"Skurd, need some Feedback hands," said Gravattack.

Matt nodded, running out and yelling "EVERYBODY BACK!" getting a few looks before being ignored. "You try to be sensible..." Matt muttered before firing a burst skywards .

Meanwhile, Gravattack was channeling as much gravity energy from the gun as he could, but it still looked ready to detonate. "Ok, need to get this thing out of here," said Gravattack before changing into planet form and flying off with the gun. Matt and the others dived for cover as Gravattack exited via the roof. Gravattack vanished skywards before a whomph was seen in the sky, everyone briefly going weightless for a second.

"Remember kids, gravity weapons are not a toy. Gravity shoes are," said Matt dizzily.

Kala managed to clear her head before looking up and yelping "INCOMING!" pointing to where Gravattack was headed back down.

"Oh, don't worry, he'll stop himself any second...any second now..." said Matt nervously. "Any second no-TAKE COVER!" yelped Matt, diving for cover .

Gravattack came crashing into the ground like a meteorite. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, but he did crash into the front of a store. The smoke had barely drifted away before a high-pitched voice yelled, "TENNYSON!"

Matt peered out to see Ben staggering out the rubble, the impact having timed the Omnitrix out. "Nice, you survived," Matt said cheerfully .

"Oh, I've survived worse," said Ben a bit dizzily.

"I can believe that," said Matt calmly, looking at the building, "He'll be long gone. Nothing like a bomb to occupy a cop's attention."

Just then, a short alien stomped out of the building and snapped, "Tennyson! Pakmar is growing sick of you always ruining Pakmar's businesses!"

Matt turned his head at that and strolled over. "Hey, peewee. That's my buddy you're talking to," he said happily.

Pakmar took one look at Matt and yelped, "MATTHEW LYNCH?!" He then ran away screaming.

Matt blinked and asked, "Was it something I said?" Rook seemed ready to say something before Matt said, "On second thoughts, no spoilers please. I can look forward to it at a later date."

"Well, at least we know what he's after," said Kala before hoisting up Argit by his jacket collar, "Isn't that right?"

"He just wanted some parts. It wasn't even illegal," helped Argit.

Matt said, "Wrong, if it was legal, why'd he go to you?"

"He just wanted a bunch of antique parts," said Argit, "Most of them don't even exist even more."

"You said 'most', not 'all'," said Kala, "What part can still be found?"

"Uh, a positronic circuit board," said Argit, "Not that he'll be able to find one that easily."

"Hah, the only one _not_ on my ships probably in Plumber HQ or something," sneered Matt .

"So he will be soon be assaulting one of those two places," said Rook.

Matt nodded, turning on his com and walking off. Kala however said, "No, he won't go for our ship. Fight through a whole army? Not likely."

"And let's face it, Plumber HQ doesn't have the best security," said Ben.

"But will it not be more difficult to break into a space station rather than a ground station?" asked Rook.

Kala shook her head, "Doesn't matter. The Novus isn't even able to land. The HQ's probably closer."

"We better get back there then," said Ben.

"Great. I don't have wings anymore so..." began Matt before the group vanished, leaving Argit hanging in the air for a second before he fell to the ground.

* * *

><p>"...I'm a chargrilled haddock of Somalia," giggled Matt, falling over to smoke gently .<p>

"The teleporter needs finer tuning," said Driba.

"No, it needs to be adjusted for crystalline armor," said Blukic.

"No it doesn't."

"Yes it does."

"Not it doesn't."

"Yes it does."

Matt groaned, "I'm gonna step on whoever was meant to calibrate that death trap. But first, you might have a vampiric intruder."

"You think we beat him here?" asked Ben.

"Probably not, I'm here," said Matt to himself .

"So where would a positronic circuit board be kept?" asked Kala.

"You mean the positronic circuit board on the orbital stabilizers? The only thing stopping up plummeting to Earth?" said Blukic casually.

Matt and Kala stared before saying "That's the one, yeah."

"You mean our station's orbit is hinged on one little thing that could be stolen?" asked Ben.

"I told you we should have upgraded the orbit stabilizers," said Driba.

"No you didn't," said Blukic.

"Yes I did." "No you didn't."

"SILENCE!" yelled Matt, his patience finally running out, "You two, sound the alarm or double the guard or do something. A psycho is coming to steal your circuit board and I don't think he cares where we land."

"I am on it," said Rook, as he typed on his computer.

"Fine, now then," said Kala before the lights flickered. "Erm...tell me you guys just forgot to pay your lighting bill," she said weakly as the lights began to go out

"Which way to the stabilizers?" asked Ben.

"The stabilizers are located on the lower deck," said Rook.

"TO THE LOWER DECK!" yelled Matt, running in a random direction, vanishing round a corner before Kala facepalmed and said "That's not the way, is it?"

"Nope," said both Driba and Blukic.

"Hmm, he'll be fine." said Kala finally before saying "Which way?"

* * *

><p>In the lower deck, the Archon's drones were busy dismantling the stabilizer to get at what he needed.<p>

"Hurry up!" snapped the Archon, looking around at the unconscious Plumbers and wishing he'd been given military caste backing so he could have made a few thralls.

"Positronic circuit board located," said one drone.

"Good, start removing it," snapped the Archon.

"Error...target is powering orbital stabilization system. Removal would degrade orbit to critical levels," said the drone

"Can we escape to the ship before the station enters the atmosphere?" asked the Archon unconcerned.

"Confirmed," said the drone before the Archon snapped "Then proceed."

"Acknowledged," said the drone before it started uninstalling the circuit board."

The Archon nodded before pausing as one of his remote camera bugs triggered, showing Kala, Rook and ben heading for them, a second showing Matt running towards the brig, dangerously close to where his ship was docked. "Hmm...what's the most hostile inmate aboard?" he muttered .

There was a pause as the drone searched before saying, "Currently, one criminal by the alias of 'Rojo' is incarcerated on this station."

"Unlock his cell," said the Archon .

"Actually, the criminal is female," said the drone.

"I don't care. Just do it!" snapped the Archon.

* * *

><p>Matt ran round a corner, heading for the 14th door he'd so far tried. "Come ooon orbital stabilizer," he muttered, kicking the door open and groaning, back, yet again in the brig. "Who has a brig that takes up 90% of their base?" he groaned .<p>

He was just about to leave when an alarm sounded. "Hey, I've been looking for the stabilizer for the last 10 minutes," snapped Matt.

However, the alarm announcement said, "Alert, a prisoner is escaping, detention level 11."

Matt stopped, turning slowly to see a cell just further down sliding open. "Oh poop," he muttered, activating his armor's helmet.

The woman who walked out of her cell didn't seem like a big threat. She reminded Matt more of a biker chick than an intergalactic criminal, but you never could tell these days.

"Ok, lady. I don't know your rap sheet but if these guys have you on lockdown, you're bad news. Back in the box or I put you there with some broken bones," he snapped, his wrist cannons whining threateningly as he pointed them .

The woman cricked her neck and said, "Step aside, junior. You're just gonna get bruised if you mess with me."

Matt narrowed his eyes, the optics on his helmet mirroring the expression before he fired a blast, the shot leaving a crater in the reinforced floor. "Next shot's through your chest. I'm not a Plumber so I don't sign up to their rules about prisoners," he snapped, the mouth on his suit copying.

"Cute costume, your mom made it for you for Halloween?" said Rojo.

"Nope, Atlantean weaponsmiths," said Matt icily before firing two concussion rounds, the big brothers of stunners, into her chest .

Rojo was knocked back, but still on her feet. "Oh, so you got some punch," she said with a smirk, "I've always been wondering if someone would eventually get armor to rival mine." With that, she let loose a couple of wrist missiles.

Matt yelped, before activating the suit's wings and leaping up, just before the missiles blew apart where he'd been standing. "Fine, let's play. Tag, you're it!" he snapped, firing a hail of plasma fire .

A trio of shots from her wrist blasters hit several plasma bursts, causing an explosion that blew away the rest. Matt jumped a little as his optics zoomed in, info appearing as the armor took its own look. "Warning...possible tech contamination... Chimera Sui Generis drone tech. Threat level: 9," it said, Matt gulping.

"Ok, so you've got good aim, but let's see how fast you can shoot," said Matt before setting his plasma launcher on Gatling mode. With that he opened up with a full barrage, hundreds of plasma blasts pelting Rojo .

Rojo couldn't avoid all the hits that time, but she was able to fling a grenade right into Matt's face. Matt yelped, raising his hands on reflex as a year of old dragon instincts took over for a second, so he was definitely surprised when a red version of the old plasma shield sprung up and vaporized the grenade, though a warning symbol appeared, signifying a recharge was occurring . "Note to self: read owner's manual when this is over," he muttered to himself.

He yelped however as Rojo leapt up and punched him on the helmet snout, sending him backflipping back . "Gotta admit, you've got balls, so to speak," said Matt.

"I was about to say the same about you," said Rojo.

"Ow, that was a low blow," said Matt.

He yelped in pain at that as a voice in his helmet said "Integration with damaged Khan network complete. Full armor functionality online."

Unfortunately, this distracted Matt long enough for Rojo to punch him in the gut. He doubled over before Rojo brought her knee up under his chin, a sound almost like breaking glass heard as it damaged the suit but also sadly knocking his senses back, as his hands shot up and grabbed her foot as she tried a roundhouse kick, the claws gripping painfully and Matt snarling, revealing some cybernetic fangs .

"Lady, you burn me up," growled Matt before doing what would have in his dragon form would have resulted in breathing plasma, hoping his armor can replicate that. In response, the nostrils on the helmet slid open to reveal two heavy duty-looking energy emitters, two plasma blasts hitting Rojo in the face . Fortunately, her helmet had a blast shield that came down in time, but Matt's attack still sent her flying into the wall.

Matt glared, getting steady before striding forward calmly. "You honestly have no idea who you are dealing with, punk. I face things that'd turn your hair white on a daily basis. Alien monsters? Check. Eldritch, albeit extremely incompetent undead horror? You got it. Idiots like you usually don't even get my notice," he said in a dark conversational tone.

When Rojo didn't respond, Matt checked his sensors. Rojo was still alive, but definitely down for the count. "Darn, I was building up to such a good thing too," said Matt.

"Confirmed, Khan. Accessing internal sensors...Alert: Power fluctuating in orbital stabilizers. Plotting waypoint path to epicenter and placing on H.U.D.," said the suits computer calmly .

"Oh for the love of...where the smeg is that stupid stabilizer?!" snapped Matt.

"Accessing base computer for directions," said his suit's computer.

* * *

><p>"Final security countermeasures bypassed," said the drone, reaching in and removing a glowing circuit board, the lights on the stabilizer flickering and a male voice saying "Warning: Stabilizer failure. You have 20 minutes to avoid orbital failure."<p>

"Let us be off," said the Archon calmly as if he had only taken a book from the library.

The drones slammed their fists against their chests in an anarchic salute before one of them suddenly jerked as a fireball blasted through its chest from behind. The Archon turned to see Kala, Ben, and Rook. "Drop the circuit board and I won't add 'limb removal' to the beatdown I'm going to give you," growled Kala.

The Archon raised an eyebrow. "By all means, take your best shot," he sneered, a fireball shooting at him before stopping in mid-air. "Do you know that most of my species are very accomplished psykers?" he said, adding, "Of course. My order's oaths forbid me to use them in any method other than harmless research or defensive. Drones, obliterate them." The drones dropped into a fighting stance and charging .

"Ok, time for Jury Rigg," said Ben as he slammed on the Omnitrix. As the drone charged him, there was a flash of green light and it was suddenly carrying something a lot squishier. "Upgrade? Even better," said Ben before morphing around the drone.

The other drones all turned, one with a normal looking eye that was suddenly a pinprick of incomprehensible fury, turning their blasters on Upgrade .

"My boy, I think it's time you utilize the semi-fluid viscosity your current race is known for," said Skurd.

"Say what?" asked Upgrade before the drones started blasting holes in him. He was soon reduced to a puddle of technorganic ooze, but he was far from dead.

"Ben, if I may make a suggestion, perhaps you should use your current form to upgrade the stabilizer before the station loses its orbit," said Rook.

The Archon, through all this, was watching with a calm and stern expression, Rook noticing to his surprise that the alien seemed to be taking down notes. He couldn't help but mentally compare the Archon to Master Kundo when he trained in his dojo. Of course, Kundo was a lot more hands-on than the Archon and more willing to berate.

Such thoughts were removed when a drone dropped in front of him and attempted to shoot at point blank range . Rook responded by whacking the drone in the face with his Proto-Tool's tonfa configuration. The blow was hard enough to actually knock off the drone's faceplate.

The drone turned back to reveal a grey skinned humanoid face with red reptilian eyes and what could only be described at fangs. The 'drone' hissed angrily before lunging at Rook . "Kala, I do not think these drones were made in a factory," said Rook, "I think they have been converted from some other species."

"That's not new for me," said Kala as she was blasting at her own drone.

"We had to find some use for casteless," said the Archon calmly, not looking up from his notes as another drone's missed shot at Kala killed the one attempting to maul Rook via a back impact .

"You turned your own kind into mindless drone?" asked Rook with revulsion.

"Quite easily, actually," said the Archon calmly, catching the circuit board that the drone guarding it tossed to him just before Kala's suit claws ripped him apart. "Now then, I have some parts to find and thanks to your station's wonderful contribution, my ship can generate FTL fuel again," he said .

"Ben, stop him!" yelled Rook.

"Uh, kinda busy keeping the ship from crashing," said Upgrade who had fused with the stabilizer.

"Need I point it out or should I just do it myself?" said Skurd dryly before saying, "Ok, I'll just save you the bother." With that, he spat a load of sticky Goop goo at the Archon's feet to glue him in place.  
>The Archon looked down and laughed. "That...to stop a transmat? Idiot," he sneered, shimmering from view.<p>

"Skurd, next time, use Spidermonkey silk," said Upgrade.

"Oh, like that would have worked better," said Skurd.

The remaining drones all paused, looking around in confusion at the fact their master was gone. "Gee, the creepy left his flunkies behind to die in his place. How original," said Kala, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

The drones looked around as Rook said calmly, "You are under arrest. If you cooperate we may be able to reverse what has been done to-" before each drone shot themselves in perfect unison.

"Clearly they've been programmed to keep their technology out of the hands of other beings at all costs," said Kala, "Just watch, they'll disintegrate any second now."

"Hey, stabilizer," reminded Ben, as the station shuddered. "Warning: stabilizer power at 60% and failing."

"I thought you had this under control," said Kala.

"Upgrade might be able to improve technology, but he can't replace missing parts," said Upgrade, "Besides, it's only a matter of time before the Omnitrix times out."

Just then, Matt ran in and said, "Finally got here, where is the creep?"

* * *

><p>Once Matt had been thoroughly chewed out by Kala and brought up to speed, he'd reluctantly had the Novus Star ship over their own positronic circuit board. "You look after this, you little gremlins. It's our ticket back to our time and Nullspace," he said pointedly, the suit off but his angry look still there as he passed it to Blukic and Driba.<p>

"Yeah, and how about we upgrade the stabilizers so that they don't require one piece to keep from crashing?" asked Ben.

"Could take time," said Driba.

"It'd be easier just to order a replacement part," said Blukic.

"No it wouldn't," said Driba.

"Yes it would," said Blukic.

"Do you guys ever agree on anything?" asked Kala exasperated.

"Yes, we do." said Blukic, Driba adding "No we don't." causing Kala's grin to freeze in place, her eye twitching.

"Yeah, they're not the brightest Galvans in the galaxy, but they're cheap," said Ben.

"So, what happens to us?" said Matt, pointedly bringing up the Vaxasaurian in the room.

"Unless Professor Paradox shows up and offers you guys a ride home, I think your best bet is waiting it out for a few weeks for a replacement part," said Ben. He looked around expectedly before shrugging and saying, "Replacement it is."

* * *

><p>The Archon sat back as he watched the Plumber HQ correct its orbit over the next hour, even more so as the Novus Star pulled close and a shuttle went over. "Hmm...resourceful little pests," he muttered, the computer saying "I cannot confirm that, sir."<br>The Archon sighed at that. "It's rhetorical. Set a course out of system. But first, send footage of the Novus Star to the following address as well as some footage of their marine teams," he said calmly.

* * *

><p>Well, here's the start of a brand new saga and it's taking place in familiar territory, in a manner of speaking. This story will be taking place just before the series finale. Considering the temporal nature of that finale, I can easily say that basically any amount of time can occur within this space, but not an extensive amount of course. This chapter is just the buildup and there's gonna be a lot more expansion with the next couple of chapters. The next chapter should be up soon so keep an eye out for it and please review.<p> 


	2. Hounded

**Reticence Saga**

**The Aliens Within**

**Chapter 2: Hounded**

"Good morning, I'm Will Harangue. Today, our precious planet faces a threat that could rival that of the destructive Ben Tennyson. Hovering above our planet is a ship crewed by dangerous mercenaries of the North Star Constellations company. For those of you who don't know, the North Stars Constellations, or NSC, is a mercenary organization that preposterously consider themselves the police in the more lawless places of the universe. The ship they are piloting, the Novus Star, happens to be one of the largest and most dangerous spaceships currently in use. And as if that weren't a hazard to our planet's safety, we've received that these mercenaries are actually time travelers from the past, from a savage war-torn time. Doubtlessly, they are here to steal information and technology so they can return to their time and change our present. Some may argue there are no grounds for such accusation, but I ask you this: if they have nothing to hide from us, why are they refusing interviews?"

The TV exploded at that, Matt lowering his blaster. "That little squid-faced son of a..." he began.

The others tuned out Matt's rage before Chris said, "That Harangue creeps really got it in for us. What's his beef?"

"Guys like him make a name for themselves by making good guys look back, particularly heroes," said Chloe.

"Little creep. Let's post him some spiderbots set to attack mode," said Techo evilly, Chris and Kala nodding, only for Chloe to sigh.

"As tempting as that is, we'd probably get into trouble. Oh I think Matt's almost finished," she said, looking over at Matt who yelled -and they'll be able to see the crater from space." before he panted heavily. "Urgh...we'll have to let him have that goddamn interview..." he said gloomily .

"Do we have to?" whined Kala.

"It'd make our jobs more difficult if people don't trust us," said Chloe.

"Can I at least pull some pranks on him?" asked Kala.

"Later and off-camera," said Chloe, "So we better make ourselves presentable. Matt, you'll need to shave."

"Nope, the beard stays," said Matt stubbornly before saying "Get some of the new crew we picked up on Avalar to escort him. Least Mina's out of this."

* * *

><p>One such new crewman would have had Matt revise that last sentence as a very human looking Mina groaned to herself, trying to reach for a faulty wire so it could be replaced. "Urgh...I thought this was supposed to be all action...not being an artificer," she groaned to herself, yelping as the circuit shorted and shocked her hand . "Why couldn't I have gotten Dad's electric powers as one of my starters?" she muttered to herself.<p>

"Hey, mecha, you finished in there?" shouted her overseer, using what her fellows had called her was a rather nasty slang for mechanic .

"Almost, I've just got to take care of this last wire," said Mina.

"Leave it. I'll have Arron take over. Word from up high, they want one of you useless maggots to help escort some idiot from planetside who's gonna give the commander an interview," snapped Overseer Akron, a rather annoyed splitter who ran the engineering in the foundry decks where equipment and gear was made.

"An escort? Like a bodyguard?" asked Mina excitedly.

"Don't get cocky, kid. When it's over you'll probably come right back here for being a screw up," said Akron smugly, Mina glaring before he returned the glare and snapped, "My eyesight must be far better than I thought."

"Why do you say that?" asked Mina.

"BECAUSE I KNOW I JUST SENT YOU TO THE COMMAND DECK YET I CAN STILL SEE YOU HERE!" roared Akron, causing Mina's hair to blow backwards .

Mina yelped before hightailing it out of here. She scrambled into the nearest turbolift and clicked her ID card in, the lift sending her up to the command deck rapidly...a little too rapidly as it turned out as she was pressed to the ground, rolling out of the lift as it stopped 10 minutes later. "Hey kid, you ok?" said a voice that caused Mina to yelp.

It didn't help that she was being addressed by the only member of the crew who was technically undead. "I'm...fine, just nervous," said Mina.

"Yeah. Lift 15's a little fucked up. Not surprised Akron didn't warn you," said Wilson cheerfully, helping her up. "Briefing rooms this way, kid. Say, do I know you?" he added .

"No, no, I'm new here, very new," said Mina.

"Yeah, I suppose, we got a huge crew," he said, leading Mina through the bridge, an unfortunate comm user apparently on the comm to some squid alien in a business suit. "Who's that?" she asked.

"That's your escort. Don't worry if he gets killed or something, you'll probably get a medal for that," joked Wilson

"Oh, I get it, this is some kind of prank you pull on the new guys, right?" asked Mina.

"No. Little creep's stinking up a serious storm against us. He wants an interview and I don't think we gotta choice. Your job'll be to make sure he doesn't eaten by spiderbots or something," said Wilson .

"The spiderbots will go easy on me, right?" asked Mina.

Wilson laughed uproariously before saying, "Oh, I remember when I was green."

The far door opened as the duo approached to show Matt and the rest of the command team sat down, Matt looking rather pale. He had also grown a beard since Mina had last seen him. Which was a bit odd because that was only a few days ago.

"Ok, now the last of our security teams here, we can begin," said Matt, clicking a view on to show the creep from the comm.

"Behold. The biggest git on earth. Will Harangue. The creep's kicking up a lynch mob, no offence boss," said Techo cheerfully, even more so because it appeared the spiderbots had gotten to the slide and drawn devil horns and a Fu Manchu moustache on the slide .

"How'd that slimeball get on TV in the first place?" asked Kala.

"Apparently he used to be human," said Chloe, "But something happened that permanently mutated him. I wouldn't be surprised if Ben was involved somehow."

"When do we give him the medal?" said Chris evilly, getting some laughs before Matt said "Ok, here's your mission, kid. Make sore this creep leaves the ship with the same number of limbs attached as when he arrives."

"He does only have four, right?" asked Mina.

"Probably, unless he's hiding a few. Just keep the easily seen ones intact. It's simple enough. Go to the armory and sign out a sidearm then go to hanger 4. Transports collecting our guests." said Matt, calmly

"And remember, you're here to guard the guy. So fight the urge to shoot him yourself," said Chloe.

* * *

><p>Harangue and one of his cameramen sat in the back of the pelican that was flying him to the Novus Star, 2 marines giving him constant glares as they flew along<p>

"Now remember, I don't want you to keep me off camera for more than 10 seconds," said Harangue to his cameraman, "Unless something very exciting is going on that is. Remember, this is my show and I deserve the most camera time."

"Remember the deal though. You try and rope the commander into anything and we shoot you in the head," said a marine darkly.

"Oh, I'm sure that'll do wonders for your PR," said Harangue dryly.

"Only if you get your footage home," grinned one of the marines, a furry chin and fangs visible under his helmet.

"Just how many of your crew is human anyways?" asked Harangue.

"Wow, what a well-thought question," said a marine sarcastically, "You should have been a diplomat."

"One minute to docking, strap yourselves in for landing," said the pilot over the intercom, a thud felt as the ship landed and a hatch opened to show a warehouse-sized hanger, several Pelicans being moved by crane as hundreds of men and women, some in trooper gear and others in engineer or technician gear running back and forth.

A trio of marines were standing to attention, one looking surprisingly young . "Uh, hello sir," said the younger one, "We're here to escort you to the captain."

Harangue just glared, walking down the ramp with his camera man, who had an expression of apology on his face, followed. "You're a little young, aren't you?" Harangue demanded.

"Well, yeah, but I have a lot of potential," said the girl.

"So these ruthless mercenaries are willing to snatch an innocent child away so they can add more to their ranks," said Harangue.

"What? I didn't say that," protested the girl.

Harangue immediately turned to the camera and said, "You saw it here first."

"Ouch!" yelped the cameraman as he felt something sting his leg. He looked down to see a small spider-shaped robot that waved at him before scuttling away. "Erm...I think they want that part edited out," said the cameraman nervously, his eyes adjusting to realize that there was quite alot of spiderbot-shaped shadows hiding all around them and _all_ looking at the duo

"They can't interfere with the freedom of the press," said Harangue.

He was about to walk in further when a lead weight reading '4 Tons' dropped right in front of him. Harangue gulped and pulled a note off that had a picture showing what was Earth marked with 'Earth laws and press freedoms' in a circle and outside a ship silhouette with an arrow saying 'you are here, idiot'. The message was more or less clear.

"We'll work on the editing later," said Harangue.

He turned the note to see, with puzzlement that an addition said "Nice to see you agree, squid boy.' which caused him to glare.

The girl was grinning rather smugly. "This way please," she said

"So, how do you make a ship this huge anyways?" asked the cameraman.

"Hey, I'm the journalist, I ask the questions," snapped Harangue before turning to his escort and asking, "So, how do you make a ship this huge anyways?"

"Designed and built off blueprints recovered from wreckage. This ship's primarily a long range ship, designed to operate away from spacedocks for up to 15 years if needed. It is partially military so stay with us please. We cannot be responsible for injuries if you choose to go exploring," said a marine as they got in a lift and it shot off, shooting out over what looked like a factory line.

"The ship's got its own foundry for producing our own equipment, with materials picked up via an armored ram scoop," said the third marine before it shot through a tunnel and opened out into what looked like a section of the Canadian forests.

"We also have our own biome. Big enough that it's basically a mini planet there: free air, food, water and recreation during long trips," said the young girl cheerfully, a reptilian hawk creature flying up to keep pace with the lift pod, its stern look focused on Harangue and the cameraman before it screeched and peeled away.

"I noticed you have not answered my question," said Harangue, "A ship this size cannot be launched off a planet, so how could it have been made?"

"Built in orbit. It is capable of landing thanks to anti-grav thrusters but it's not recommended," said the first marine adding for emphasis, "Just to make it clear, this ship's primarily long range research, not a warship. It's just that our frontiers have some...nasty inhabitants that shoot first and ask questions never." before the lift shot through another tunnel to show several large launch tubes and launch bays, filled with what were clearly other capital ships. "Escort ships," said the first marine sternly

"This place is big enough to build a city in," said the cameraman, earning him a sharp look from Harangue.

"Funny you should mention that," said the girl as they passed through another tunnel. The lift went through another section to show what looked like a warehouse, filled with several unbuilt decks and a half dozen humanoid robots working at building. "We're removing some sections the commander found distasteful, like a black hole cannon we found," said the girl .

"Hey! Watch where you're movin' that thing!" snapped the shortest of the robots.

"Sorry, boss," said the largest one who was holding a very long girder.

"Now entering: Command quarters," said an automated voice, as the lift stopped and began to go up rapidly.

The first marine said "The commander doesn't trust you enough to let you film command. You'll be interviewing him in his quarters."

"I'm sure he's got nothing to hide in there," said the girl, though she sounded a little nervous.

Harangue opened his mouth to object before the marine said "If that's not good enough, we can turn around and take you back to the hanger."

"And remember, you're supposed to ask about his business, not his personal life," said the second marine.

The lift finally stopped, opening up into a generic grey metal corridor, several doors on either side and crewmen pausing to watch as the group were led out and down the hall to a door with a half covered name on the door, the word 'admiral' visible. "After you, calamari man," said one of the marines, opening the door .

The captain was sitting in his chair, trying to appear professional. He was more savage-looking than Harangue expect, with wild hair and an unkempt beard. "Have a seat," said Captain Lynch courteously.

Harangue looked suspicious before sitting down opposite, his cameraman trying several positions before deciding on a side shot. "We are live in 3...2..." he said miming the last one before nodding .

"This is Will Harangue and I am currently aboard the Novus Start and talking with its captain, Matthew Lynch. Captain Lynch, I think what all our viewers would like to know is why are currently in Earth's orbit instead of in the lawless void of deep space?"

"First off, it's Novus Star, not Start. As for your question, Mr. Harangue, we're on the trail of a criminal in control of a highly dangerous piece of technology, the sort of tech better off in pieces instead of in working order. The Plumbers are allowing us to check their sensor net data so we can work out where he went from here," said Matt professionally .

"And if your ship is so advanced, could you have not figured it out by yourself by now?" questioned Harangue.

"Our ship took some damage when we were on the cusp of recovering the tech ourselves. Incurseans I believe they were called. Our sensors were also damaged," said Matt in a smooth lie. In reality the revenite ship was close to impossible to track.

"Incurseans, yes, interesting," mumbled Harangue before saying, "So, my sources lead me to believe me that you are not from this time period, but are in fact from the past."

"That's classified, I'm afraid," said Matt smoothly .

"Yes, I suppose that thieves and spies wouldn't want others to know what they're up to," said Harangue.

"Really? Is that the best you have? Let's have a look at your files. Aria took the liberty. Aria, bring up Harangue's actions during the Incursean invasion. Would you agree that collaborator covers it?" said Matt with an evil grin, his teeth looking rather carnivorous .

"As I have repeatedly stated, I was acting as an uncover agent to infiltrate the Incurseans and bring them down from within," said Harangue, "The return of Ben Tennyson ruined that plan before I could carry it all the way out."

"Yeah, you were doing a real good job. Then there's this file where you worked with a known anti-alien terror group, the Forever Knights. Almost helped them commit planetwide genocide. Your comeuppance was your current look," said Matt evilly

"There is no footage to support your claim," said Harangue, "Besides, aren't you and your crew from the war-torn time where everyone was trying to find any edge they could find to win? That does not seem like a time of altruism."

"Really? Last time I checked we were almost out of business. Never been so bored in my life," laughed Matt, before saying "Any other accusations disguised as questions? "

"Yes, do you have fleas?" asked Harangue.

"Excuse me?" said Matt.

"Perhaps you haven't noticed, but you've been scratching yourself during most of the interview," said Harangue.

"I've got an itch. It's really hot in here. Hold on," said Matt, scratching the back of his ear before pressing a button on his desk. "Techo, double check environment settings on command quarters sector 2. It's boiling in my quarters and I got an interview with this moron," he said, snapping .

"Just a sec," said Techo. Matt kept on scratching before Techo called back, "It's just 65 degrees Fahrenheit in there."

"It feel more like tropical," snapped Matt before pausing and starting to shake.

"Er...boss?" began the cameraman, looking at Matt, concerned.

"Oh, he's just trying ham it up so people will think he's harmless," said Harangue, "Buddy, I'm on a schedule here so can we get back to the important stuff?"

"Warning...medical emergency detected in command quarters, sector 2. Commander's lifesigns fluctuating...medical team respond," said a computerized voice over the intercom at that, a klaxon sounding .

"Uh, boss, I don't think he's faking," said the cameraman.

Harangue opened his mouth to reply before two white armored crew ran in, pushing Harangue and the cameraman aside roughly. "You idiots, why didn't you call someone?" one of them scolded while the other checked vitals and shouted "Turn that smegging camera off and get them outta here."

"Sir, I think you'll have to wait for the Captain to recover before continuing," said the girl escort, "Can I show you to the coffee lounge?"

"Fine," sulked Harangue.

* * *

><p>"Boss. It's not your fault. They'll probably continue the interview with one of his command team," said the cameraman, the trio, consisting of the cameraman, Harangue and their girl escort, sitting in an almost empty cafeteria, the only other occupants some weird tiny aliens on the far corner apparently playing poker for slices of coconut cake.<p>

"I'm telling you, they're hiding something," said Harangue, "There's on this ship they don't want the public to know. And when I find it, it'll push my ratings through the roof."

"Of course not. This is part military ship," said the girl escort with a sigh before wincing as a fight apparently broke out as one of the aliens, wearing a fedora was apparently caught with almost an entire deck of extra cards

"What kind of aliens are those anyways?" asked Harangue.

"Uh...not sure," said the escort, "There are different kinds of aliens all over the universe."

"Warning: Bio alert. Code black. All combat teams report to your nearest armory. A hostile lifeform has been detected in command quarters sector 2. Non-lethal munitions only," said a stern voice, the lights going out for a second before switching to a red lighting before their escorts radio buzzed.

"Kid, this is Wilson. Get that moron back to the hanger. We got serious smeg going down in your area."

"Uh, Mr. Harangue, if you'll just follow me, we'll get you back to your shuttle," said the girl.

"Not a chance. The people have a right to know what's happening," said Harangue loftily before there was a crash at the far door, a half dozen fully armored marines running in.

"Greggs, Jenkins, set up over on the left with me. You three, right side. It's headed this..."

Just then, someone who to Harangue looked like they were wearing a wolf man costume barged in, snarling and growling. The act got a bit more convincing when he saw Harangue's group and snarled.

"OPEN FIRE!" yelled the squad leader, his men opening up with lightning rifles, the creature yelping angrily as repeated shots hit it .

The wolf man grabbed the fedora-wearing alien and held him up for a shield. "Ugh, this again?" said the alien, rather unconcerned that he was being shot.

"Get that VIP outta here!" yelled a marine at the escort, who grabbed Harangue with far too much strength for a girl her size.

"You heard him." she snapped

"But this is prime footage," protested Harangue.

"I think we have enough," yelped the cameraman as the wolf man yelled what looked like a sonic blast as several of the marines, sending them flying like ragdolls.

"He's right," snapped their escort, pulling the two into the corridor and pushing them for an elevator. The wolf man roared before charging at them. Fortunately, the elevator doors closed in time, but there was the sound of tearing metal on the other side.

"Please state floor." said the elevator calmly as the door began to dent.

"Shuttle bay!" shouted the girl.

"I'm sorry. Please restate in a calm tone," said the voice in a friendly tone as rips began to appear in the door, the wolf man snarling. "Give me that fool."

"Shuttle bay, shuttle bay, shuttle bay," said the girl with increasing nervousness.

"Confirmed," said the elevator AI before the lift began to move.

* * *

><p>Matt howled in frustration as he lost his prey. But he didn't have time to waste with the marines surrounding him. He needed to escape. He looked around desperately before finally looking up to see a sign for escape shuttles, his lips peeling back in a smirk before he literally ran at the marines, vaulting over them.<p>

He was almost at the escape shuttles when a piercing high sound stabbed him through the ears. He howled in pain and clutched at his head as the sound rattled his brain. He snarled and looked around to try and find the source of the noise, growling before howling again as the noise was heard .

"This is for your own good, Lynch," said NegaMorph as he kept the sonic pitch whistle going, having donned a sound-insulating pair of earmuffs beforehand. Matt growled before his muzzle split open and a sonic blast shot out and blasted NegaMorph into a wall . "Ow, shoulda seen that coming," said NegaMorph.

Matt just chuckled before activating a hatch and hopped in, the hatch opening before it flew down the access port. "Don't let him get away!" shouted Wilson.

"Too late. His pod's gone," said Techo over the comm, Wilson glaring as the pod flew away

"Well, he can't go far," said Wilson.

"Sure, he's only got a whole planet to hide on," said NegaMorph sarcastically as he peeled himself off the wall.

"Or I could just trace the pod...heading down...quadrant 5...sector 3...half a mile outside Bellwood," said Aria calmly .

"Bellwood, what a surprise," said Techo, "Think he has a plan or is he just a wild wolf?"

"Wild Loboan," corrected NegaMorph, "That mirror's probably given him a dose of slow-acting nanites to gradually convert him."

"How would you know?" asked Wilson.

"Because I spent hours stuck in that thing after Lynch kicked me in there," said NegaMorph.

"Wait, if it's infected his nanites...oh smeg, he's about to be patient zero. Contact the Plumbers and SECT. Tell them we're deploying a squad to Bellwood and to get a damn curfew going," said Chris with a horrified expression .

"Uh, he's not _that_ kind of werewolf," said Wilson.

"With nanites that have no control module to tell em to stop?" said Chris sternly, letting it sink in .

"He doesn't need a genuine lycanthropy curse to spread his hair problem around," said NegaMorph, "Saliva glands filled with self-replicating nanites will do the trick just as well."

"I know, that's what I meant. We gotta get a team down there...and don't tell Kala. Also, where the hell is Harangue?" said Chris, the far lift opening and the aforementioned reporter coming out with an annoyed-looking cameraman and a apologetic...  
>"Mina?" said Chris, recognizing the face immediately.<p>

"Uh, I'm afraid you're mistaken," said the girl in an unconvincingly deeper voice, "My name's, uh, Stephanie."

"Yeah right. Mina, take the damn helmet off and once we find..." he said, pausing as he focused on Harangue before saying "The alien, we are having words."

"And what was that alien beast?" demanded Harangue, "What kind of monster were you transporting?"

"We weren't transporting him. This ship's 2 miles long. Plenty of places to hide for an alien that's only the size of you and me," snapped Techo .

"And I suppose there are enough gaps in your security for a hitchhiker to slip aboard," said Harangue dryly.

"With the commander in...indisposed I'm in command now. Get the hell of my ship...and hand over your footage. You get it on the commanders say so," said Chris angrily, the cameraman gulping and handing it over immediately .

"This isn't over," said Harangue, "The people deserve to know the truth."

"Which makes one wonder what you're doing here then," said Chris.

Harangue glared before Chris said, "Mina, do the party trick and toss this trash in a Pelican. Not the cameraman though, he suffers enough working for this jerk."

Mina grinned before shifting into her half dragon form. She grabbed Harangue and said with a devilish smile, "Come with me, sir." Harangue just stared before screaming, as anyone would when someone had just gained half a foot in height and the natural weaponry to tear a battle tank in half.

"Try not to traumatize him too badly," called Chris.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Ben was enjoying one of his rarer days off. Normally, he'd use this opportunity to watch a Sumo Slammers marathon or play non-stop Sumo Slammers game. But this time, he was using it to spend some time with his girl.<p>

"So it turned out the Dragon Emperor had been using alien tech to first unite China. But then he tried using it to prolong his life, but fortunately there were more responsible Galvan to keep him from going too far. Sometimes I think the Galvan have been shaping all of Earth's history," said Kai.

"Yeah," said Ben, thinking back to George's story about the sword, back up by Azmuth.

"Hey, a shooting star," said Kai, suddenly, a small fireball flying down .

"Hmm...that typically means an incoming alien threat for me," said Ben.

The shooting star immediately vanished into the old warehouse district, a deafening boom heard before the Omnitrix's comm began to buzz before an automated message said "General distress...lifeboat 212 has landed in your area. Respond at once...message repeats."

"Sorry, Kai, looks like work's calling on my day off, again," said Ben.

"Is this something I gotta get used to you doing?" asked Kai.

"Afraid so," said Ben.

"Then I suppose I better get used to coming along with you," said Kai. Ben was surprised at that, though Kai just grinned. "C'mon, how can you not expect Ben 10's girlfriend to not want to fight with him?" asked Kai.

"Uh, is that a trick question?" asked Ben.

"Well, let's go then," said Kai cheerfully, heading for Ben's car.

* * *

><p>The place where the 'fallen star' had landed wasn't hard to find. There were a few fire trucks heading that way, but Ben's car got their first. "Keep on your feet," said Ben, "Whatever we're dealing with could be more dangerous than normal."<p>

"And what would be rated as 'normal danger'?" asked Kai.

Ben pondered for a second before saying, "Let me get back to you on that."

The pod seemed to have decelerated before the crash, though it had still caused damage. In fact, most of the damage seemed to be that something had burst out of it. It was hard to determine what that something was, but it apparently had sharp claws.

"Ben, this looks like Blitzwolfer's work," Kai said carefully, pulling a familiar-looking claw out of one of the metal tears, along with some ebony black fur.

"First off, they're not called Blitzwolfers, they're called-" started Ben.

"Loboans of Luna Lobo, one of the moons of Anur Transyl in the Anur System," said Kai. Ben raised an eyebrow at that. "I read up on them," explained Kai.

"How much?" asked Ben before saying, "Never mind, secondly, this isn't necessarily Loboan work. It could have been a Vulpimancer or even an Appoplexian."

Kai peered in further to see a side cabinet marked 'emergency armament'. Its door was broken open and several items had been removed. "Ben?" she called before a red blast shot down from the roof above and hit Ben's car.

"Not my ride!" said Ben with horror before pausing and asking, "Did I sound just like Kevin just then?"

"No prey escapes this time," growled a voice from above before more laser bolts lanced down .

Ben and Kai scattered and took cover. Ben turned on his Omnitrix and said, "Listen, if you turn me into Blitzwolfer now, I'm taking you to Azmuth's to be fixed." When he pushed down the dial, the Omnitrix appeared to cooperate for once and turned him into Diamondhead.

"Hmm, you've actually made it work for you for once," said Skurd.

"Probably would get better aliens if you were gunking up the watch," said Diamondhead.

"Bad choice," sneered the voice before a Loboan landed in a crouch and sent a sonic scream out .

Diamondhead winced as his crystal body cracked all over. "Ow, should have known the watch would find some way to mess with me," groaned Diamondhead.

"Might I suggest a change in form before you're shattered?" said Skurd.

The Loboan raised his rifle, flicking a switch to cause the muzzle to turn into a sonic emitter before it winced as Kai hit it in the back, before it span and got into a combat crouch, dodging and weaving to avoid her blows.

"Kai, be careful," said Diamondhead as he reached for the Omnitrix but his arm broke off.

"I can handle myself," said Kai as she blocked the Loboan's claw with a piece of wood. The Loboan's face though was practically neutral, full of concentration as it followed the blows to dodge, weave and block before finally grabbing the piece of wood and throwing it aside .

"Hang on, Kai, I'm coming," said Diamondhead before regrowing his arm and slapping the Omnitrix. In a flash, he was now Cannonbolt. "Ok, much better," he said before curling into an armored ball and rolling at the Loboan.

The Loboan turned his head slightly before jumping up to avoid the blow, landing neatly behind Kai. Kai swung around to punch the Loboan, but he caught her fist in his mouth. The Loboan seemed just as surprised by this, a confused expression before Kai pulled her hand back, yelping as the Loboan's teeth drew blood unintentionally. This went out the window as her opponent pushed her at Cannonbolt.

Fortunately, Cannonbolt was able to stop and uncurl so Kai hit his softer underbelly. "You ok?" asked Cannonbolt.

"He bit me a bit," said Kai.

"Well, unless he scratched your watch, I think you'll be ok," said Cannonbolt jokingly.

The Loboan however snarled before pausing, tilting its head before starting to laugh.

"Uh, I'm pretty that watch-scratching thing isn't common knowledge," said Cannonbolt.

"Oh, you might wanna let go of-" began the Loboan before a dart hit it in the neck . The Loboan blinked before falling over and started snoring.

A dozen or so marines ran into view, Chris holding a rifle. "Nice, least nothing happened. Don't worry, boss. You'll be on your feet in no time," Chris said cheerfully before seeing Ben and Kai, "Oh, hey Ben. Sorry for messing up your date."

"Ben, who are these guys?" asked Kai.

"They're old friends of mine, and the term 'old' is used a bit oddly here," said Cannonbolt.

"Yes, they're apparently from 6 years in the past," said Skurd. Kai raised an eyebrow at that.

Cannonbolt turned back into Ben and he said, "Don't worry, this has nothing to do with Paradox or Maltruant. I think."

"I think we know what the mirror did. He had a Loboan reflection. There musta been enough heat from the crash to set the damn thing off," said a marine .

"What mirror?" asked Kai.

"Classified," said the entire marine team in unison.

"Wait a sec, are you saying that's Matt?" asked Ben, pointing at the Loboan.

"Yup, fur and all. Chris thinks his bites be infectious too but nothing's happened so I guess that's a bust," said another marine, taking his helmet off to reveal Techo.

"Wait, bite?" asked Kai nervously.

"Yeah, nanites in the mouth." said Techo, checking Kai. "I can't see anything," he said conversationally.

Kai looked at her hand to see that her skin was unmarred. "I'm pretty sure there was blood," said Kai in a worried tone.

"Was probably the heat of the moment," said Techo with a shrug .

"You can change Matt back to normal, right?" asked Ben.

"Not a clue," said Techo cheerfully .

"But you guys work with nanotech all the time," said Ben.

"Uh, does every lightbulb have the same type? Can any engine part work in any car? There are different kinds of nanotech, most are incompatible," said Techo, "If we want to find out how to fix this, we'll need that mirror back."

"We could always wring NegaMorph to see if he got any leftover in him," said Chris.

"We tried that. That's why Wilson's in sickbay," said another marine.

Chris shrugged and said, "Well, it was fun anyways."

Matt's eyes shot open at that, every marine aiming at him before he said in a slurred voice, "If someone doesn't explain why I'm in an alley and why my entire body feels weird, pain will ensue."

"Oh good, his mind's back to normal," said Chris cheerfully.

"Ok, what's the best way to tell him?" muttered Techo to himself before telling Matt, "Don't look in a mirror."

Matt groaned, "What happened? You only say that when my human race membership card's been suspended."

"Let me show you," said Skurd before producing a reflective Diamondhead shield.

Matt stared before saying, "You know...actually not that bad...I've had worse."

"That's a relief," said Techo.

"I will have to fight Chris later for dominance," said Matt.

"Oh sure, no pro- Wait, what?" asked Chris.

Matt grinned at that. "Oh, and you have to work out if I'm joking or not," he sniggered .

"Are they usually like this?" asked Kai.

"Well, normally, Matt's a dragon and dragons apparently don't care if werewolves share their territories," said Ben.

"I lost my dragon membership," said Matt, dizzily.

"Oh, you're from that time," said Ben before muttering to himself, "That's gonna make a few things awkward."

"Wait, pardon?" said Matt, growling .

"Uh, nothing," said Ben, "Can't say much, time paradoxes and stuff."

"Indeed, no spoilers. Except the spoiler if there's a cure or not," snapped Matt .

"For the Loboan thing or the dragon thing?" asked Ben.

"Loboan, I do not want fleas," snapped Matt, grabbing Nen and easily lifting him to eye level .

"Well, I'm pretty sure there's a cure, but I have no idea what that is," said Ben.

"Oh lovely, my future self's an idiot who didn't take notes," snapped Matt, dropping Ben .

"Relax, we got a fully-stocked med lab back on the ship," said Chris.

"And we have a pair of Galvans who might be able to figure it out," said Ben.

"Your Galvans, the alien equivalents of Dumb and Dumber?" asked Matt in an 'are-you-kidding' tone. Ben paused at that before nodding in admission "Let's just get to the med lab," grumbled Matt.

Ben sighed before looking at his car. "What about that? You shot my car," he said.

Techo rolled his eyes, "That? 30 minute repair job with my kit."

"I'll believe that when I see it," said Ben.

Techo nodded, taking out a briefcase and opening it up to show a canister full of silver liquid. "One dose of repair nanites, coming up," he said cheerfully .

Ben looked at the canister with an air of dubiousness and asked, "That's not gonna cause my car to come to life and run amuck, will it?"

"No. It doesn't do that anymore," said Techo cheerfully, spraying the nanites on the car . Immediately, the nanites went to work, uncrumpling metal and soldiering broken pieces back together.

"Ok, but can it wax it too?" asked Ben.

"Of course not. That'd be stupid," said Techo with a scolding look, Kai chuckling a little. Ben's car was soon in its proper shape, but it was in good need of a car wash. "Well, shall we head on over to the doctor's?" said Techo.

"Don't you mean the vet's?" whispered Chris making both chuckle until Matt said, "I heard that."

* * *

><p>Matt glared as, in his head, two little Galvan morsels poked him. "Well...do we have a diagnosis or do I go mad?" he asked.<p>

"Hmm...yep, just what I thought," said Blukic before pulling something out of Matt's fur. "Just normal fleas, not Hulex," he said before popping it into his mouth. However, the flea was a lot stronger than it looked as it knocked his head from side to side before popping out.

"Just what I thought, they weren't normal fleas," said Driba, "They seem to have been previously exposed to magi energy, probably feeding off of a magical creature of some kind."

"Oh come on, I got fleas from Weirdwolf?!" snapped Matt.

"Who's Weirdwolf?" asked Driba before Matt snapped "ENOUGH! Did you find out anything _useful_?"

"Well, your transformation is definitely caused by nanites," said Driba.

"No shit, Sherlock. Any way to cure it?" snarled Mat t.

"Not without seeing the nanite source," said Blukic.

"But we can treat it," said Driba.

"No we can't," said Blukic.

"Yes we can," said Driba.

"TREAT IT!" yelled Matt, a sonic howl demolishing a wall.

"Well, we can't make promises," said Blukic.

"But we can at least tell you how to avoid the worst of it," said Driba, "These nanites were designed for terraforming both terrain and organisms."

"Uh huh, knew that," said Matt dully.

"And it causes organisms to behave in a way to continue the terraforming with other organisms," said Driba.

"But this programming only activates when exposed to UV radiation within a certain parameter," said Blukic, "Not too much, not too little."

"Moonlight?" said Matt, years of his life allowing him to predict what was about to be said .

"That ought to be right," said Blukic.

"Lemme guess, only a full moon has the correct energy output or some other crap," said Matt just as annoyed .

"Should also occur within a waxing moon," said Driba.

"No it won't," said Blukic.

"Yes it would," said Driba.

"No it won't."  
>Matt yelled, "GIMMIE THE DAMN MENTAL BLOCKER NOW!"<p>

"Mental blocker?" asked Driba, "We don't know how to block the mental effects."

"But we can help with the physical ones," said Blukic before pointing what looked like a laser turret at Matt, "Now hold still."

"Oh hell no!" yelped Matt, jumping off the table .

Apparently, this wasn't the first time Blukic had to deal with a twitchy patient and kept firing at Matt. "Now, don't get excited, that makes it worse," said Blukic.

Matt yelped, dodging each shot. "I can live with fur! NO LASERS!" he yelled .

Just then, a blast hit him and he fell over. "That should do it," said Blukic.

"Well, mostly," said Driba. Matt slowly picked himself up and looked in the mirror. He looked more like himself now, but it looked like he was wearing a very realistic costume of Lawrence Talbot.

"Hmm...this might be only temporary," said Blukic.

"I LOOK LIKE A CASTLEVANIA ESCAPEE!" roared Matt, flickering before shifting back to Loboan.

"Aggression makes it even more temporary," said Driba.

"We'll have to do a higher voltage," said Blukic before turning up the laser.

Matt yelped and was forced to dodge the next shot before sonic screaming the laser . "Look, can't you two do _anything_ helpful?" snapped Matt.

"Well, I suppose we can suppress the nanites in your saliva glands," said Driba.

"Should keep you from spreading it so long as you don't exchange bodily fluids with anyone," said Blukic.

Matt's face seemed to freeze at that before he snapped, "Fine, do it, no lasers though."

"Oh, I think we can make a pill for that," said Driba.

"And it'll be chewable and beef-flavored," said Blukic.

"Why would you..." began Matt in a faint voice.

* * *

><p>When Kala heard the news, she had mixed feelings. On one hand, it'll be fun to have her boyfriend be a cute fluffy doggy for a while. On the other hand, she was going to be rather frustrated by the lack of contact she'll be able to have with him.<p>

In context, the gang agreed she took it rather well...

* * *

><p>"C'mon Kala, setting fire to your room won't help," called Chris round the corner of the door .<p>

"Especially since everything's already been fireproofed," said Megan.

Chloe, sitting in the corner looked, rather complacent to anyone passing. However, if a psychic had passed they would have heard an unusual internal monologue.

_'Ok, on the bright side, Matt's bound to face more humiliation as a wolf than a dragon. He'll probably match with Chloe if they eventually meet. And he's an open target for me to do with as I wish. Then again, the other villains are bound to hear about it and will want to take advantage. Not like they wouldn't have before when he was stripped of his dragon powers, but I can think of at least one person who'll use Matt's Loboan side against him. Not to mention there's bound to be a dogfight at some point.' _

She paused as she heard someone saying something. "Hello...earth to Chloe," said Chris, tapping the top of her head .

Chloe blinked and said, "Sorry, were you saying something?"

"I said, we got word back. Those Galvan failed big time. Matt's still fuzzy," said Chris .

"Oh like we weren't expecting that," said Chloe dryly.

"Point to you there but we still gotta deal with the problem," said Megan with a sigh, predicting the mayhem when Weirdwolf and Matt would see each other .

"Yep, I hear Loboans can be pretty territorial," said Draco, "But this isn't the first time Matt's been turned into a werewolf."

"He's not a werewolf and he wasn't a werewolf last time," said Chris.

"Doesn't matter. He'll probably see you as a threat," said Chloe calmly .

"I'm kinda looking forward to the challenge," said Chris, "I've always wanted to show him I'm the tougher one and he doesn't have his dragon advantage this time."

"No, he can just liquefy your brain with a sonic howl," said Techo cheerfully .

"From what I've read, Loboans don't use that during dominance matches," said Megan.

"Matt's not gonna be running on instincts 24/7," said Techo.

"Good point. You're screwed, Chris," said Chloe cheerfully .

"I'm touched by your support," said Chris.

"Hey, you're gonna be stuck in the infirmary while we're going to be giving Matt his B-A-T-H. I don't see what you're complaining about," said Draco.

Chris raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to spell it. I can handle someone saying...that word," he said, finishing lamely

"Yeah, but for all I know, Matt's razor-sharp hearing could pick that up," said Draco.

"He's not back from the station yet. Even his hearing can't hear bath," said Chloe, Chris flinching .

"He probably has spies then," said Draco.

"You mean the 'spies' we paid to help get him into the tub when he tries to protest?" asked Techo. A spiderbot scuttled by holding a dollar and giggling.

"Oh yeah," said Draco before stopping, "Wait a sec, we got a Loboan expert on board already."

"Hmm...I'm not sure he would be willing to sell out his own kind," said Chris dubiously.

* * *

><p>"Oh, sure, you just muzzle him and the rest should be easy," said Scout, "I had to help out when my uncle didn't take a bath in a week."<p>

"This was surprisingly easy. I feel robbed somehow," said Techo glumly .

"Well, maybe Matt will be more of a challenge to catch," said Chloe comfortingly, "I mean, it's no easy task to pin Weirdwolf down."

Scout sighed, "The trick will be getting close enough to muzzle him. We don't like that for obvious reasons."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure we have a gadget for that somewhere," said Chloe.

"Yeah, you mean the tesla pistol? Matt's got it," said Chris, before saying, "It was his turn to catch Weirdwolf for...b-a-t-h night."

"Somebody call for me?" asked Matt as he walked into the room.

Everyone seemed to pause at that, before Scout said calmly "They were just consulting with me. You may want to as well unless you want to end up like my feral brethren on Luna lobo."

"Good point," said Matt, "Do most of your kind go feral?"

"It mostly has to do with genetics and upbringing," said Scout, "Loboans who live among other races tend to be closer to your terms of 'civil'. But certain stimulations can make us go feral."

"Like what?" said Matt, before a spiderbot squirted water on his face. Matt gave a canine yelp as he jumped back before growling at the spiderbot.

"Case in point. From what I understand, you'd never think of threatening these...things," said Scout calmly, the spiderbot returning Matt's glare.

"Daydream about it, maybe, but I wouldn't go through with it," said Matt as he wiped the water off his face.

"Then why did you snarl?" said Scout smugly, in the air of someone with an airtight argument.

Matt sighed and said, "Is there anything I won't be able to control myself around? Will I have an unstoppable urge to feed on pork when I see it?"

"Don't be silly. That's just galactic stereotyping," scolded Scout .

"Though you might feel an instinctual aversion to some things," said Chloe.

"Like what?" said Matt, Draco saying "Like baths-ohblitznak."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Ben and Kai had gone to a rock-climbing place. Not surprisingly, Kai was pretty good at it. "Remember, Ben, if you change, you forfeit," said Kai.<p>

Ben just panted, pulling himself up another ledge to catch up. "How are you...not even tired?" he asked .

"Maybe it's because I don't change into an alien to do all my work," said Kai, "Or perhaps it's because I have a healthier diet than chili fries and smoothies."

"What's wrong with smoothies?" joked Ben, before saying, "It's not that. We've been climbing for half an hour but you aren't even phased."

"Really?" asked Kai before checking her watch, "Huh, time really flies when you're having fun."

Ben nodded, finally managing to pull himself up to equal level with Kai and noticing something. "Erm...Kai? Your eyes," he said carefully .

"Let me guess, you're gonna say beautiful they are so you can steal another kiss from me," said Kai, "They're not gonna come that easily."

"No...they're yellow," said Ben carefully .

"Riiight...nice try, Tennyson," said Kai.

"I'm serious, Kai," said Ben, in a stern voice, looking around before spotting a puddle and pulling Kai over. Kai took one look into it and gasped. Her eyes had turned yellow, but that wasn't all. Her eyebrows had grown very bushy and were now meeting across her forehead, not to mention her ears were pointed now. Her gasp allowed her to see that her canines were longer than normal too.

"I think that cut counted as a bite," said Ben carefully .

Kai quickly took off her glove to look at her hand. Her fingernails had turned black and looked sharper and there was hair sprouting off the back of her hand. Taking off her other glove revealed that it was the same way. "Ben..." Kai said, a little nervously before wincing, the nanites in her blood deciding that her brain needed a tune-up too.

"Kai, calm down, don't panic," said Ben, "We're going to get you help." Kai, however, was gripping her head as it morphed before pausing and opening her eyes and growling . "Uh, Kai, it's me, Ben, your lovable boyfriend and future husband," said Ben nervously.

Kai's response was to howl angrily and lunge at Ben. Ben jumped back before activating the Omnitrix and turning into Snare-Oh. "Excellent choice," said Skurd, "Now she can take out all her frustration at you and you'll survive."

Kai glared before jumping over snare-oh and hopping down the mountain. "Oh boy, I better get after her before she hurts somebody," said Snare-Oh before jumping and stretching his body like a parachute.

* * *

><p>"I gotta eat this? It looks like it's already been eaten once," groaned Matt, looking at a blue jerky style meat, he, scout, Kala and Chloe in Undertown.<p>

"You need to keep a square diet," said Scout.

"It looks disgusting...and smells worse. This the Loboan equivalent of cabbage?" groaned Matt .

"Cabbage?" asked Scout with confusion.

"As in tastes awful but I gotta eat I anyway," groaned Matt .

"Well, I suppose it is," said Scout.

"Urgh," groaned Matt at that .

"Hey, you want to keep your larynx strong and healthy, right?" said Kala.

"Quiet, you..." snapped Matt, before picking up a piece, wincing and reluctantly swallowing it, "Ugh, that was as bad as an MRE."

"You get used to it," said Scout calmly before several screams were heard down the road, along with a crashing noise. Scout and Matt's ears immediately perked up before they looked in the direction.

"Guys, we might be doing more than shopping here today," said Matt. The group quickly ran towards the fighting in time for half a Techadon robot to fly past them. "Well...that's never good," said Matt weakly.

A figure leaped on top of a nearby rooftop and roared. At one glance, it was pretty easy to tell it was a female Loboan with black and brown fur and yellow eyes. However, there was something about her ponytail and stretched clothing that was vaguely familiar.

Matt's own nanites were providing their own scan, though they were a mix of orders, some saying it was a friendly and another saying it was a timeline specific. "Erm, guys?" he said carefully before the new Loboan noticed them properly and snarled angrily, saying in a female growl "Intruders."

"Stay back, she's more than half feral," said Scout.

"More than that, I think she's-" began Matt before more of Argit's robots turned up, in a 'shoot first' mood . The she-wolf alien growled before unleashing a sonic howl upon the Techadons. Two of the bots were immediately crumpled, the others adapting and firing rapidly as the she-wolf performed, to Matt, a textbook splitter tai-kao flip...NSC flash training. "Hey, that's my move!" he snapped .

"Uh, Matt, I don't think now's the best time to argue about such things," said Kala. The broken Techadons were rebuilding themselves and the Loboan would be overwhelmed soon.

Matt nodded, before picking up a piece of rubble and throwing it at the she-Loboan, who grabbed it out of mid-air and turned to snarl. "Yooou...you bit me," she growled .

"So? I bite a lot of people," said Matt, thinking of the dozens of time he's chomped somebody as a dragon, namely Morph or NegaMorph.

Kala glared at that. "You said you didn't bite anyone when you went nuts," she snapped before a sonic howl sent her flying .

"When I went nuts when?" asked Matt before Chloe grabbed Matt by his shirt front and shook him.

"You idiot, did you bite anyone since you've gone wolf?" snapped Chloe.

"I dunno. I did ambush Kai and Ben, but I don't think I bit em," said Matt a little desperately ,

"Does that look like the result of someone not bitten?" snapped Chloe, twisting Matt's head to look at the Loboan.

"I admit, she looks familiar," said Matt weakly, before the Loboan lost interest, lunging at Chloe and biting her before running away.

"If I've been infected, I blame you for this," said Chloe before punching Matt in the nose.

Matt gave a canine yelp of pain and said, "Hey, that's a lot more sensitive now."

"Good," said Chloe before flicking his nose again, just as Ben's car pulled up and Ben and Rook piled out.

"Which way did she go?" asked Ben desperately.

"That way...erm...oh dear," said Matt, starting to put the pieces together, "Please make my day...say that wasn't your girlfriend running away."

"That was my girlfriend and you infected her!" snapped Ben.

"Oh dear, you've made him rather miffed," said Skurd, "I suggest you get far away before he proceeds with the pummeling."

"Not on purpose. The last thing I remember before coming too in front of you was giving that Harangue moron an interview to get him to shut up," snarled Matt .

"Geeze, you had to deal with Harangue? No wonder you snapped," said Ben.

"That and I gained a foot in height and fur...and the split lip from hell," said Matt scathingly .

"Uh huh, fascinating," said Ben dully, "But more importantly, why has Kai gone loco lobo when you're fine?"

"From what everyone tells me, I put 16 marines in the med bay and attempted to blow yours and Kai's head off with a PX-4 laser rifle," said Matt icily .

"This is not a good time to be arguing," said Rook, "Kai is still on the loose and could infect more people if she is not stopped."

"He's right. Unless you want another disaster named after you, Matt," said Kala, before regretting it.

Matt gave a very lupine snarl before Chloe said, "Oh stop acting like everyone's against you. We've got bigger things to worry about than your ego."

Matt glared at that before saying, "Let's find her before some idiot does."

"Oh who would be stupid enough to get in our way?" asked Kala.

* * *

><p>Unsurprisingly, Kai was very fast and nimble as a Loboan. Even XLR8 was having a hard time keeping up with her. Matt had, in a sign of sense, called in some of his men to guard the exits out of Undertown, meaning at least for now, Kai was confined to the town. However Matt learnt that stunning a Loboan was alot harder then it seemed, as his tesla rifle missed again, causing an explosion of water from the town's river.<br>"Dammit...shooting with 3 fingers is harder than it looks," he snapped, leaping down to give pursuit again. Fortunately, it appeared that Kai was heading towards a cul-de-sac which would make it a lot easier to corral her.

"Ok, this is almost over. We corner her here. Control, get a containment team here with mental suppressers. Might as well see if they work, dust off my old one," Matt said into his comm, spotting his sister on a roof ahead and wondering how she was keeping ahead.

XLR8 was currently chasing Kai into the cul-de-sac as the others started to surround it. "Trust me, Kai, this is for your own good," said XLR8. Suddenly, a wall of vines sprung up, separating XLR8 from Kai. "What the-" was all the Kineceleran had time to say before he ran right into it.

Kai turned in animalistic surprise as the vines hemmed her into the cul-de-sac, sniffing around as someone said, "Shame on you all, picking on a defenseless animal." followed by the voice of the alpha who bit her originally snapping "Who the smeg is this moron?"

"I am Pax, alien rights activist," said the Florauna who was dressed like a hippy, "And I cannot stand by and watch you cruelly capture this wild animal."

Matt glared, "Get out the way, you little moron before I get a flamethrower. That 'animal' in there is in need of medical attention before she bites someone and causes a pandemic."

"You have no right to get in the way of nature's processes," said Pax.

"It was caused by nanites," said Matt promptly, only for Pax to stare, "You know, little teeny-tiny machines that can do basically anything?"

"I didn't sprout yesterday, man," said Pax, "I know when one of nature's innocent creatures is being oppressed."

Matt glared before talking into his comm. "Hey Scout, can our stomachs handle vegetables?" he said pointedly .

"We can ingest the occasional roughage, but not too much," said Scout.

"Oh...dammit. Could you get over here? We've got a hippy infestation," he said darkly as Ben came too.

"Ok, who put the vines in... Oh, not him again," groaned Ben.

"You know this moron?" said Matt darkly .

"Yeah, Pax has a hobby of letting animals loose," said Ben, "Especially really dangerous animals that should be in a cage for everyone's safety."

"Cages are a travesty, man," said Pax, "Every creature should know what freedom looks like."

Matt glared at that. "Tough cheese, plant boy. Get out my way or I'll be forced to have my men tie you in knots and toss you in a wood chipper," he snapped .

Just then, Kai had apparently gotten bored with her surroundings and used her sonic howl to blast through a building. She jumped through the substantial wall that she made and further away from the mercs. "That's right, you beautiful being!" called Pax, "Run to freedom!"

"Captain Anderson! Toss this vegetable in the nearest thing we have to a brig!" yelled Matt at that, Pax's comments being the final straw .

"Uh, I gotta be going," said Pax before he tunneled into the ground.

"I think we are most likely to encounter him again when we next get close to capturing Kai," observed Rook.

"Good, by then I'll have worked out how to switch to incendiary rounds," said Matt darkly .

Kala sighed and said, "Maybe we're going about this the wrong way. Maybe instead of just chasing Kai all around, maybe we should lure her to us."

"We need something to tempt her. Food's out the question cause otherwise she'd have tried to eat someone by now...hey, Ben. You still got Benwolf?" asked Matt, thoughtfully .

"It's Blitzwolfer now and I'd rather not use him unless I have to," said Ben.

"Well, there's one group I know of that can help with luring," said Kala before activating her comm.

After a few seconds, Draco picked up and asked, "Hey Kala, what's up?"

"We've got a little problem down here," said Kala.

"Let me guess, Matt has been taken over by his new savage instincts and needs to be captured," said Draco.

"Actually, it's Kai, who's been bitten by Matt previously, that needs to be captured," said Kala.

"Close enough, we'll be down there in a few minutes and we'll bring bait," said Draco before hanging up.

* * *

><p>"This is your idea of bait?" asked Matt skeptically, which was not unwarranted seeing how Morph was in a lamb costume and Chip was wearing a red hooded cape and carrying a basket.<p>

"Hey, it works in the storybooks," said Draco, "And in case these two don't work, I'll be bringing in a big pig."

"Why do I have to be Red Riding Hood?" asked Chip sourly.

"Yeah, Red Riding Hood looks more fun," said Morph.

"Because Chip would make a terrible sheep," said Draco.

"Oh, ok, but do I really need this raw mutton in my costume?" asked Morph.  
>Matt nodded. "Yeah...I can smell it...from...here," he said, he and Scout all looking at Morph's costume intently<p>

"Well, if it works on those two, it ought to work on Kai," said Draco, "Alright you two, get out there and make with the wolf luring."

"This is a total waste of my capabilities and intelligence," said Chip sourly as he and Morph went off.

"And skip for crying out loud!" snapped Draco.

"This is not gonna work," said Kala bluntly, holding up a finger as Rook opened his mouth, "Because it's one of our plans and they always go pear shaped."

"Lalalalala, I'm on my way to granny's house with my cute little lamb," said Chip in the most deadpan way possible.

"Moo," said Morph happily.

"Sheep go baa, you idiot," snapped Chip.

"Oh, ok, baa," said Morph.

Matt and Scout snapped out of it as the mutton smell vanished before Scout said glumly, "Oh, that's embarrassing."

"Now we just sit back and wait," said Draco confidently.

* * *

><p>"Ok, we've been doing this for half an hour and my leg joints are seizing up from all the prancing...can we <em>please<em> try plan b?" snapped chip, his skipping more of a Igor style lurch from the aforementioned leg joint malfunction. Morph meanwhile was barking.

"Yeah, I guess so. I would have thought Kai wouldn't resist the smell of raw mutton," said Draco.

"Maybe she likes it cooked," said Morph before pulling out the mutton, then a grill and started roasting the mutton on it.  
>Rook just stared before saying, "How was that possible?"<p>

Ben said, "You should have seen what he did when we first met." before a distant howl was heard.

Matt and Scout threw back their heads and howled too. "Uh, were we supposed to do that?" asked Matt.

"It's a communal instinct," said Scout, "It can't be helped."

"Uh, guys, I think Kai is very close to us," said Chip through the comm.

Matt nodded and turned on his comm. "Containment teams, you see that plant idiot, blast him into compost. He apparently regens anyway," he said before twitching as the cooking smell wafted into nasal range. "Wow, that smells...really...good..." said Matt, drool dripping from his muzzle as his stomach growled fiercely.

Scout, who was checking a scanner Chris had lent him looked up "Matt?" he asked, concerned before the smell got him too and his eyes glazed for a second. "Oh no," he said weakly, jumping to grab Matt just before he tried to lunge for Morph. "We...need that...bait," he managed as the others grabbed Matt .

"Just one bite, just a nibble," said Matt desperately as he clawed his way towards the mutton.

"No...we...we need...No, get a grip!" snapped Scout, though the last part might have also been to himself as he was drooling a bit too .

"Great, Kai's probably not gonna come near us now," said Chip before he heard growling behind him. He turned slowly to see Kai looking rather hungry. "You wouldn't hurt a little girl, would you?" he asked in a high-pitched voice. Kai's response was a sonic blast that reduced Chip to a pile of parts. "Great, now nothing'll hear right for weeks," he rasped as Kai turned to eye Morph .

"Hello puppy lady," said Morph in his usual obliviousness.

Chris yelled "Ben, grab her!" as he struggled with Matt .

"Hang on just a second," said Ben as he scrolled through his aliens.

But then, Pax popped out of the ground and said, "Wait, you can't hurt her. She's a precious innocent creature."

"Let him have it," snapped Chris as the mercs opened fire on Pax.

Pax yelped as Chris's team that weren't holding down either Scout, who was starting to snap as well or Matt opened fire, causing Pax to yelp and yell "Plumber brutality!" causing one merc to yell "We're not Plumbers."

"Huh, well, I guess we won't be needing the pig at all," commented Draco.

"Say, where is your pig costume anyways?" asked Kala.

"Costume? You think I'd dress up like a pig and let myself get mauled?" asked Draco, "Heck no, I got a real pig. I guess I'll get to eat him later after Kai's been bagged." Just then, there was the sound of breaking metal and Draco said, "Uh oh, I think it got loose."

"What? Your pig? How could it-" started Kala before a savage squealing was heard. Everyone turned to see what looked like a huge green boar with multiple tusks, six legs, and beady red eyes charging in their direction. A few mercs fired at it, but it jumped surprisingly high for something its size before landing and charging right through the mercs and heading straight for not the Loboans or the mutton, but at Pax himself who screamed and ran away.

"Draco, you're getting a pay raise when we get back to the ship," said Chris simply .

"What was that?" asked Chloe.

"Let me check," said Chip's head before projecting an image of the boar, "Momenrathus, one of the few animal species native to Flors Verdance. They've become an invasive species on several planets due to poachers taking them for hunting and losing them. Very aggressive species, but fortunately it's a plant-eater. However, it prefers to eat sentient plants."

"That'll do it. Ben, grab Kai before we have to deal with three rabid Loboans. Boss, get a grip!" snapped Techo, before rasping as Matt grabbed him by the neck and used him to hit Chris .

"Ok, time to get back to business," said Ben before changing into Swampfire.

"Let's wrap this up," said Swampfire before causing large vines to come out of the ground and tied up the Loboans. "There, that wasn't so bad," said Swampfire before a ferocious squeal was heard.

The Momenrathus ran back into view at that, looking around for where Pax had gone apparently before spotting Swampfire and its hungry little eyes lighting up at the sight of a meal. "Stay back, piggy," said Swampfire before blasting fire out of his hands. But the Momenrathus jumped over the flames and started charging at Swampfire.

Kai, meanwhile, had finished pummeling Morph and was in the middle of the mutton before she looked up to see the Momenrathus going for Swampfire, a part of her brain unaffected by the nanites poking recognition before the nanites tried to point out that the objective was the food.

"Might I suggest changing into something further up the food chain?" asked Skurd.

"Kinda have my hands full right now," said Swampfire before the Momenrathus suddenly bit off his lower arms. "Any time you guys wanna help out would be fine," snapped Swampfire as he regrew his arms.

The marines, those not trying to subdue the Loboans began shooting at that, the Momenrathus turning angrily to face the little apes interrupting its dinner .

Swampfire quickly took the opportunity to slap the Omnitrix and became Blitzwolfer. "I should have known," he muttered to himself, "At least Blitzwolfer can take out this big bad pig."

Kai turned to growl at that, before pausing, this time the familiarity rather strong, made easier by the fact that the mutton was all gone now . Blitzwolfer's appearance reminded Kai of protection, affection, and strength. That and his impressive physique added up to one thing in her simplified mine: mate. This was quite evident in the way her eyes had turned into hearts, her excited panting, and the enthusiastic wagging of her tail.  
>Bliztwolfer meanwhile had pummeled the Momenrathus easily, the pig creature, despite its size, easily floored by a creature that could break walls with a shout...well that's if the spirals for its eyes were any judgment. "Ok, now to put you out for the count," said Blitzwolfer before a black furred blur tackled him, the Momenrathus looking confused before its primitive voice saying to it "Hey...the killer wolf's gone...let's run away very fast." its body agreeing .<p>

As the Momenrathus started fleeing, Blitzwolfer yelled, "Hey, get back here, you stupid-" before something licked his face. Blitzwolfer looked up to see Kai sitting on top of him looking for all the world like a love-struck puppy.

Techo couldn't help but smirk and say, "Aw, she likes you." before shouldering his tazer blaster. "Hold that pose. You may feel a tingle," he said, Kai turning to snarl to see a bolt of lightning coming the other way before everything to her went white .

Chloe in her own Shar armor went over and pulled Kai off of Blitzwolfer. "Why didn't you use that form in the first place?" she asked.

"For all I knew, she would have attacked me even more savagely," said Blitzwolfer.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," said Kala, giggling, a team running up with what Ben recognized, slightly worryingly as a piece of Matts old wrist computer, slightly burnt.

"What is that for?" asked Blitzwolfer.

"Matt's old mental inhibitor. It works on all mental nasties, should work on Kai. Just be ready, she might freak out like nobody's business," said Techo cheerfully .

Kai was already starting to stir so Blitzwolfer went over to her. "Uh, just stay there, good girl," said Blitzwolfer while scratching behind her ears. Kai just whined happily, leaning into the scratching before going wide eyed as one marine, sadly new to the crew yelled "NOW!" Luckily it seemed the fates decided to cut a break as they managed to get the inhibitor on, earpiece style with only one guy out cold.

Kai snarled and tried to get at the earpiece, but Blitzwolfer held her tight until the inhibitor fully kicked in. The result was a brief crown of electricity from ear to ear as the inhibitor 'tuned in' before Kai's eyes focused. "Wha-what happened?" asked Kai in a slightly deeper version of her normal voice, "Where am I?"

"Undertown," said Matt, waving cheerfully.

"Matt? What's going on here?" asked Kai, "And what's with my voice?"

Matt looked nervous before saying "Nothing," Kala muttering "Wuss." behind him .

"Uh, Kai, something really unexpected happened," said Ben, "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Seeing fur on my...hands..." said Kai as she looked down at herself and noticed a lot more body hair than usual.

"Yeaaah, about that...sorry?" said Matt nervously .

"You did this to me?!" snarled Kai.

"It was an accident!" yelped Matt, jumping back .

"Accident?! You turned me into a werewolf!" snapped Kai.

"Miss Kai, you are aware that Loboans are not truly-" started Rook before Kai growled at him. "I shall remain quiet until your rage is vented," said Rook.

"Please don't vent," gulped Matt, his brain knowing what venting wound mean...pain...lots of it .

"I told you that you would get your comeuppance," said Skurd.

"Shut up, you, you, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU ARE!" snapped Matt.

"Uh, Kai, should you back off just a little?" asked Blitzwolfer.

"No," snapped Kai.

"Ok...can I join in then?" asked Blitzwolfer.

Kai smiled and said happily, "Yes you can."

A fireball shot between them at that, the save slightly spoiled when it shot into Matt's face. "Nobody beats up my bushi bu!" roared Kala, her left eye twitching .

"Aw, not even when he deserves it?" asked Chris before backing up when Kala glared at him. "I mean, yes...no attacking the commander," he said glumly, disappointed .

Kai gave Matt one last growl which made Matt yip with fright and hide behind Scout. "Uh, don't we have a giant alien boar to take care of?" asked Techo.

"Already taking care of it," said Draco was wearing a chef's hat and an apron that said 'Beam up the cook'.

"Trust me, he'll handle it," said Chris with a bit of disgust.

"So, do you have a cure for this thing or not?" demanded Blitzwolfer.

"Not really, not until we get that mirror back," said Matt, "And those Galvan guys you have weren't any real use.

At that point, the Omnitrix timed out and Ben changed back to normal, which made Kai give a disappointed whine. "I want a second opinion on this," said Ben, "And there's only one guy in the galaxy who's smart enough to figure this out."

* * *

><p>"What do you mean 'Not interested'?" said Matt in a voice you could bend adamantium round, such was the self-control .<p>

"I am an extremely busy Galvan," said Azmuth, "I have more important things to work on that demand my attention. Your minor problem has low priority. Call back in a year when I'm less busy."

Matt lost patience at that. He'd been communicating on audio only to spare him the shame but now he activated visual feed and snapped, "Now look here, you little gremlin. We need a fix and we need one now. Don't make me come over there."

Azmuth gave Matt an interested look and said, "Hmm...fascinating. But this isn't the first time I've seen someone be converted into another species, hardly. The Loboan form is barely novel either. And it does not seem to be life-threatening so I don't see any point of rushing."  
>Matt twitched before snapping "GET THE NUKES!" before Ben pulled him aside.<p>

"Let me have a try. You're not the sort of guy to nuke Azmuth," he muttered to Matt who looked _exactly_ like the sort of person to do that at that moment.

Ben turned to the vidscreen and said, "Azmuth, Matt's not the only one who's got a Loboan problem. He bit Kai and she's a Loboan now too."

"A bit more out of the ordinary, but unless they're about to go a rampage, I do not see why this merits my immediate concern."

As Azmuth was turning away, Ben said, "Wait, Azmuth, I can't leave Kai like this, not any longer than it has to take. Wouldn't you do anything you could to keep your girlfriend?"

Azmuth paused at that before sighing. "I knew you'd eventually use that against me some day," said Azmuth, "Very well, bring the patients over and I'll have a look at them. No, actually, it would save more time if I went there. Stand back please." There was a sudden flash and Azmuth was suddenly on their side of the vidscreen.

Matt and the crew yelped at that. "DON'T DO THAT!" screamed Matt .

"It's just simple teleportation technology," said Azmuth, "I forgot you NSC don't use it that often." He looked up at Matt and said, "Hmm...you look worse in person. Now where's this Miss Kai?"

"Medbay 3, we're making sure the inhibitor doesn't fall off," said Matt .

"Inhibitor?" asked Azmuth.

"Mental inhibitor, so she won't go wild on us," said Ben.

"Ah, yes, that makes it easier," said Azmuth, "Show me to her."

Matt nodded, he and several marines leading the way to a medbay door with two heavily armed marines on sentry duty. "Given I easily broke out when I snapped, I thought heavy duty was a good idea," he said ,

"Wise choice," said Azmuth as the door opened. Kai was strapped to a bed but looked rather lucid, if annoyed about her predicament.

She immediately opened her mouth only for Matt to say in what seemed like a repeat, "It's for everyone's safety."

Azmuth hopped up onto the bed and examined Kai. "Hmm...interesting," he said. He started looking through her fur, checking her eyes and ears. He even quite daringly stick his head in her mouth.  
>He finally seemed at a conclusion, Ben asking, "So? What do you think?"<p>

"I think you could do better," said Azmuth.

"What?" asked Ben.

"Well, asides from her current condition, this young lady has no remarkable traits to be observed. I would have thought that you would choose someone more...extraordinary," said Azmuth.

"Oh, like he's so perfect," said Kai, "He relies on that watch to do all his fighting and he barely learns how to do anything without it. The wonder that he's scrawny is because of his constantly eating chilli fries and smoothies. Doesn't sound that extraordinary himself, does he?"

Azmuth smiled and said, "I take it back. She's the perfect match for you. She counterbalances your ego precisely."  
>There was a chorus of sniggers at that from everyone in the room . "Ha, ha, very funny," said Ben dryly, "Now what about Kai? Can you fix her?"<p>

"Well, it is complicated," said Azmuth, "I need to know more about where she got those nanites infesting her."

"Evil space machine, it got stole when the Incurseans decided to use our fleet for target practice," said Matt darkly

"I need more specific details than 'evil space machine'," said Azmuth.

"Revenite invention. It set off our alert at class 12...as in off the scale," said Chris .

"Revenite? I had thought we heard the last of them over a thousand years ago," said Azmuth.

"Nope...ran into them 3 times already," said Matt .

"You encountered a living revenite?" asked Azmuth, "That makes this situation more serious than I thought."

"We can take care of the vampire guy later," said Ben, "What about Kai?"

"Well, unless I can properly examine this machine of his, a complete fix is not possible. But I think I can alleviate the worst of the symptoms. Is your laboratory fully-equipped?"  
>Aria, on a holoscreen, nodded, "This is the most advanced ship the NSC ever built. We have a fully operational medical laboratory and 6 nanolathes in the ship foundry."<p>

"Ah that should make it much simpler," said Azmuth, "Take me to the nearest nanolathe."

* * *

><p>After a while, Matt headed down to the foundry, sweating from the heat. While the nanolathes could make anything, certain things needed to be made the normal way, meaning actual foundries. He finally came to lathe 3 and found Azmuth at the input controls. "Watcha making?" he asked .<p>

"You do recall your encounter with the Wyrves Dracon Unitrix, yes?" asked Azmuth. When Matt gave a blank look, Azmuth sighed and said, "You probably remember it by the inaccurate name of the Drac Omnitrix."

"Oh, yeah. Haven't seen him for ages," said Matt cheerfully .

"Well, I made several versions of the Unitrix, each designed to contain a single DNA source, though I eventually moved to the far more advanced Omnitrix," said Azmuth, "While I cannot remove the nanites within Ms. Kai's systems, I can allow her to alternate to a human-enough form with a customized Unitrix."  
>"That sounds good. What could go wrong?" he said, adding the last part darkly .<p>

"The worst case scenario would be if Kai regressed to a completely feral Loboan, but I've already taken measures to ensure that wouldn't happen," said Azmuth.

"Ok, anything else I should be aware of given I'm in the same boat?" asked Matt

"Your case is even more complex," said Azmuth, "Your body is already filled with Shar nanites which, if I recall your timeline correctly, are currently inactive. The revenite nanites will have integrated into your system to fill in gaps that your other nanites have made. That unfortunately includes the nanites that maintain your vital functions."

"So...if I get cured I drop dead?" said Matt in a distant voice .

"Well...not precisely, might involve temporarily stopping your heart," said Azmuth.

"Yes, that has 'stopping heart' as part of the solution and therefore is BAD!" snapped Matt .

"I'll have a better answer when I have that terraforming device," said Azmuth.

"Great, there's only a few galaxies to find it in," said Matt sarcastically .

"The revenite shall make himself known sooner than later," said Azmuth, "I have seen how they operate. One simply has to keep an eye out for patterns."

"And those patterns are?" asked Matt .

Just then, there was a ding and Azmuth said, "Ah, it's ready."

Matt wandered up before frowning as what was clearly a dog collar with an Omnitrix symbol was visible. "Seriously?" he said flatly .

"Were you expecting something more ornate?" asked Azmuth.

"I was expecting something that didn't look like it was for a pet," said Matt.

"If her Loboan instincts take over, she would see a watch form as a manacle and would probably gnaw her own arm off," said Azmuth.

"Hmm...ok. You can give it to her," said Matt simply .

"You make it sound like it is dangerous," said Azmuth dismissively.

"It's a trix, of course it's dangerous. I trust genetic tech as far as I can toss this ship," snapped Matt .

"Is that all? I would have expected you to be more open-minded," said Azmuth.

"Course not. I've seen what genetic tech run amok can do...twice," said Matt .

"Let me guess, designed by less intelligent scientists of your organization?" asked Azmuth.

Matt glared and said, "Hey, uncalled for. Not just us, saw the Atlanteans...magic...all of it genetic tech and nasty as hell."

"Unlike your kind, I never intended my genetic research to be meant for military purposes," said Azmuth sternly, "The Omnitrix was originally designed to be a backup in case any sentient species in the galaxy went extinct as well as to allow one to, as you Earthlings say, walk a mile in another's shoes. Technology is neither good nor evil, it's what their users do with it."

"Neither was that mirror thing apparently," snapped Matt .

"I rather doubt that," said Azmuth, "I know _exactly_ what I'm doing with this Unitrix. Unless you can conceive of a better way to stabilize her form, I suggest you help me put this on her."

"I thought you said it wouldn't be dangerous to put it on her," said Matt.

"It isn't, but I can't reach both sides of her neck to get it on her," said Azmuth.

Matt grumbled before saying, "If I lose any fingers..."

* * *

><p>Kai was a bit more cooperative than Matt had expect, but she did growl when he pulled at her fur a bit.<p>

"Ok...aaaand connected," said Matt calmly .

"Finally," said Kai, "So I just push this button and I'm back to being human?"

"That is what should happen," said Azmuth. Kai quickly pushed the button and green light passed over her as she shrunk down. However, she didn't become completely human. There were quite a few lupine traits such as sharp teeth, prominent body hair on her arms and back, claws on her fingers and toes, a thick bushy monobrow and pointed ears. "I had a feeling that might happen," said Azmuth, "Fortunately, I added a second feature." He jumped up and pushed the other button and Kai shimmered before appearing human again.  
>"A holocloak, should hold up under anything but close scrutiny," said Matt .<p>

"Kai, your Loboan instincts might be suppressed, but eventually they'll push to get free. I suggest you use your Loboan form at least once a day to relieve the pressure," said Azmuth.

There was a few glares at that. "Well this is a nice surprise. Any other doctor's orders you left out?" Matt snapped.

Azmuth cleared his throat and said a bit uncomfortably, "A few things, but they'd best be discussed in private."

"One more thing, sir," said a marine at that, walking in dragging an annoyed Mina.

Matt's eye twitched a bit and said, "I don't think my senses are working right. Because that looks like a slightly older Lumina and she has her scent. But that can't be right because we left her back on Avalar, right?"

Mina gulped before spreading her arms and saying mock cheerfully, "Happy birthday surprise?"

Matt turned to Chris and asked, "Is it my birthday here?"

"I don't think so," said Chris. "I thought not," said Matt before suddenly shouting, "BECAUSE I CERTAINLY DIDN'T ASK FOR MINA TO BE HERE!"

Mina gulped. "Erm...Merry Christmas?" she tried, Matt starting to growl.

* * *

><p>The Archon sat back at the screen. "So, the mirror kicked in," he said, looking at some online footage of Kai<p>

"The Galvan device is modulating her programming and implanted instincts," said a drone, "The chances of her spreading the terraforming nanites are minimal."  
>"So? That was never the intention. I would have dispatched you for immediate incineration protocol had it been in danger of further spread. What is the status of galactic resources? Other revenite ships and other assets must still be active. Are any online?" the Archon said calmly .<p>

"Negative," said the drone, "However, a beacon has been detected in a remote and obscure sector," said the drone.

"Highlight sector," said the Archon calmly.

"Scanning...class four research vessel detected...status: Disabled. Cause: Unknown. Unidentified technorganic lifeform detected in zone," said the drone calmly, a holoscreen zooming in on a desolate-looking planet.

The Archon looked at the planet thoughtfully before saying, "Launch a probe. Scan the system for anything of interest."

"Yes, Archon. Time to completion: 48 sol hours." the drone said calmly

"Plenty of time," said the Archon calmly, "They'll never be able to find us."

"Should I prepare a distraction as a stand by?" asked the drone, several different...creatures appearing in holoform.

"Why not?" said the Archon, "After so many centuries with nothing to do, I could use some entertainment."

* * *

><p>There's the next chapter. As you can see, Matt did not come out completely unscathed by his encounter with the mirror last chapter. It sure seems impossible for him to <em>not <em>get into situations like this. And we'll be seeing plenty of Kai in the rest of this fic. I thought it would be suitably ironic for her to be stuck as the same species of the one Omnitrix alien she obsesses over most. And we have another unexpected guest with Lumina, though I bet some of you would have suspected she'd stowaway. In case your curious, the Momenrathus is my own design for a Nemetrix alien that was part of an unofficial contest on deviantART. A picture of it is on my account if you want to look.

Anyways, the next chapter might be a bit longer in getting up because it's going to be a three-parter. But it's definitely not one you'll want to pass over. Things are only going to get more exciting from here. So keep an eye out for updates and please review.


	3. Mark of the Beast, pt 1

**Reticence Saga**

**The Aliens Within**

**Chapter 3: Mark of the Beast, pt. 1**

Log access requested...DENIED...Non-match DNA...security has been informed.

...

Matt growled at that before snapping the PDA in half from annoyance, yelping when he found it took hardly any effort at all for his current form. So far, being a Loboan has more cons than pros. There were plenty of jokes being made behind his back which he was able to pick up easier with his new ears. And there were quite a lot of jokes being made to his face as well. Even Kala had been treating him like a puppy dog lately. Morph had been the worst with the bones appearing next to Matt every morning...and the collar. Morph was currently trying to pull himself together...literally.

Even without the others' treatment, grooming has become more of a hassle than normal. Fur didn't dry out nearly as quickly as scales, causing the smell of wet dog to cling to him for at least an hour after showers. Not to mention the shedding he's been doing. At least the fleas had been treated.

His ears perked up as he heard footsteps and a particularly pleasant scent before saying "Come in, Kala."

"There's no sneaking up on you anymore, is there?" commented Kala as she came in.

"None at all, Kala," said Matt.

"Bet you're still clueless at guessing though," said Kala. Matt turned to see Kala with her hands behind her back and a grin that meant mischief on her face. "Guess what I've got," she said.

Matt's eyes narrowed and he said, "If it's a leash, so help me I'll bite your arm off."

"Nope, guess again," said Kala.

"Dog biscuit?" said Matt scathingly .

"Nope," said Kala, grinning widely.

"Holocloak?" said Matt, trying a serious one .

"Something you don't already have," said Kala.

"Ok, I give up," said Matt, in an annoyed tone .

Kala whipped out from behind her back what looked like a large fish. At a second glance, it was obviously made out of plastic. "Thought you'd like a chew toy," said Kala, squeezing the fish and making it squeak.

Matt glared before calmly taking the fish off her then hitting her repeatedly with it and finally shoving it in her mouth. "THE JOKE GOT OLD THE FIRST TIME!" he snarled angrily .

Kala spat out the fish and said, "Oh, I thought couples were supposed to give each other fish when one of them has been turned into a beast."

Matt gave Kala an annoyed look and said, "You're still bent up about that? I thought you let it go months ago."

"You're not getting over it," said Kala loftily, Matt growling at that .

"Would it be too much to ask that, out of all my crew, my girlfriend would be the one person showing any empathy?" growled Matt.

"Maybe if you hadn't treated me like a mock dragon for a month," said Kala .

"You were completely indistinguishable from the only other dragon of your type there," snapped Matt, "Even the one feature you had which wouldn't have changed was a different color and even if hadn't changed, you'd still wouldn't look any different. How was I supposed to know?!"

"Well you look the same as any other Loboan," said Kala bitterly, stomping out .

"I'm still able to talk!" snapped Matt. When no response came, Matt just roared with frustration and slashed at the wall. The walls in his room had gotten several scratches on it lately.

Aria chimed up at that. "Sir, are you ok? Should I inform Plumber Scout?" she asked, not even blinking as Matt snapped at her . "Sir, I suggest you calm yourself before you trash another piece of furniture," said Aria.

"Calm? CALM? YOU WANT ME TO BE CALM?" roared Matt .

"As you recall what Plumber Scout has told you, the more frustration you exert, the stronger your bestial trails will become," said Aria, "For instance, I notice you've barely dressed today."

Matt glared before saying, "Every time I try to put a shirt on, I tear it apart by accident."

"You've not been sleeping your bed either," said Aria.

"It's too small," grumbled Matt, "Besides, the floor is more...comfortable."

"And that doesn't ring any alarm bells at all?" said Aria carefully, before adding, "And let go of the fish."

Matt, holding the squeaky toy, which he was squeezing every minute or so with a annoyed look. "It's stress relief," protested Matt.

"Yes, and I suppose you haven't noticed that you've been pacing on all fours for the last two minutes."

Matt stood up at that before snapping, "Ok, so I'm stressed. You would be too."

"Of course, and I would make it a priority to relieve that stress. And I don't think squeezing a fish is going to be enough," said Aria. Matt glared before childishly squeaking the fish again. Aria sighed, "I'll call Mr. Scout."

"Fine, whatever," said Matt, "It's not like I've got anything to do today anyways." He glanced at the pile of bones that Morph had left and his stomach gave a slight growl. "Uh, get him here soon," said Matt.

...

Matt wasn't the only one having trouble with his situation. Kai was currently getting some verbal training from Scout at that moment too.

"This kind of behavior isn't that uncommon back home," said Scout, "But your planet's standards are apparently higher. So while I personally don't see too many reasons wrong with it, I believe it's important you refrain from eating raw eggs."

"I don't know what came over me," said Kai, sounding more than a little embarrassed.

"Simple, you were hungry and we Loboans have less discerning appetites than other races," said Scout.

"At least nobody saw me," groaned Kai sadly.

"Er, that might not be quite true," said Scout.

Kai's ears went flat at that. "What?" she said weakly .

"Er, you were a bit hard to not notice," said Scout.

Kai covered her eyes at that before saying, "How many hits?"

"Hits?" asked Scout, not understanding.

"On the internet or extranet or whatever," said Kai.

"Oh, the captain has disabled all extranet connections," said Scout, "To keep anyone from learning too much about the past six years."

Kai sighed with minor relief at that. Just then, Draco walked by and said, "Hey Kai, still got egg on your face."

Kai whimpered at that as Scout aimed an angry look at the experiment who ran off, just as Matt came in, earning the award for worst moment to arrive. "Morning, you two been to the mess hall yet?" asked Matt, "They're having bacon and scrambled-" He was cut off when Kai jumped on Matt and started beating him up.

...

Once he'd been rescued, Scout looked at the various reports Aria had sent him. "This is not good. If I am reading this right, you are both about one small step from going feral," he said .

"It's not irreversible, isn't it?" asked Matt, absently scratching his ear with his hind foot.

"It's not easy though," said Scout, "And nearly impossible without you doing something you'll regret afterwards."

"Wait...what kind of regrettable things? I don't have much regret left. I need to horde it," he said carefully .

"Well, injuring someone would be the least of it," said Scout meaningfully, "But overcoming that is simple: self-control. You have to learn it."

Matt stared before starting to laugh. "You do have my history file, right?" he managed .

"Yes, but anyone can be overwhelmed by an unfamiliar sensation," said Scout.

"Really? Name one," said Matt, Scout running his claws down the room's paneling...Matt's precious ship.

"Such as the Loboan's drive to protect their territory," said Scout as he carved circles into the walls.

Matt, to his credit was only shaking in place, the squeaky fish's head inflated to rather uncomfortable-looking size from his squeezing it. The eye twitch was also pretty impressive, being at a speed worthy of most Morse code machines.

"Most Loboans cannot stand other Loboans invading their territory or leaving their mark," said Scout conversationally. Matt tried to look away and ignore Scout. But then he heard the sound of unzipping.

...

"...and it was that point that I tried to chew Plumber Scout's head off, Mr. Tennyson," said Matt embarrassedly.

Max rubbed his forehead and said, "To be honest, I would have expected you to have lashed out at him sooner."

"I need a cure...before I need a collar," groaned Matt, "Tell me Azmuth has the cure finished."

"Not yet, unfortunately," said Max, "Not until he has the mirror to study. But we have another problem that requires more immediate treatment."

"Will it involve me punching something?" asked Matt darkly .

"It would more likely involve running," said Max, "I don't suppose you've heard of Khyber the Huntsman."

"Can't say I have." said Matt.

"Khyber is, well, pretty much what you'd think of when you imagine an alien big game hunter," said Max.

"Let me guess, he includes sentient beings as well as non-sentients to his trophy room," said Matt.

"Yes, and for a time, he was bent on hunting Ben for his ultimate trophy," said Max.  
>Matt raised an eyebrow at that. "Ok, what was his gig? He'd have needed one to take on Ben and not be wrapped up in more bandages then a Thep Khufan," he said .<p>

Max put an image on the computer of a symbol that reminded Matt of the Omnitrix. However, it was hexagonal instead of round and it looked more like a fang-filled mouth. "This is the Nemetrix, a copy of the Omnitrix that's more limited in forms, but potentially more dangerous. While the Omnitrix contains DNA from sentient beings, the Nemetrix contains DNA from non-sentient beings, namely the natural predators of some of Ben's aliens."

"Ouch, bio weapons. Sounds nas...did you say non-sentient?" said Matt, pausing .

"Yes, and don't think that just because they're alien beasts, they're any less dangerous," said Max as she showed a few images of the predators that were in the Nemetrix.

Matt yelped at that, jumping back at some of the images. "What complete fruit loop would make something like that?" he snapped .

"Dr. Psychobos, he wanted to prove that his intellect was superior to Azmuth's," said Max, showing an image of a Cerebrocrustasean with an oversized right claw, "Don't worry about him, he's imprisoned in a parallel dimension."

"Good riddance by the sounds of it. He, erm, isn't one of mine, is he?" said Matt, innocently fishing for information before he twitched.

"I doubt it," said Max, "But that's not important right now. Because of the savage nature of its stored forms, the Nemetrix can't be used by sentient beings or the biofeedback could destroy their minds. Khyber got around this by first equipping it to his 'hunting dogs' and then using Skurd."

"The snot bubble living on Ben's Omnitrix?" said Matt calmly, thinking about it, "They do eat DNA so it makes sense. I'm guessing there's a 'but' to this story. Which poor sod did he shove it on?"

"Well, Khyber last used it himself, indirectly," said Max, "He had Skurd attached to the Nemetrix and create armor and weapons from the stored DNA. But then Skurd took a bigger interest in the Omnitrix and jumped ships, leaving Khyber to be transformed by the Nemetrix directly. We got in off him in time, but lately he's been showing symptoms."

"Symptoms...oh boy. This is why genetic tech's banned. What symptoms? Do we need to make one of the cells acid proof?" said Matt a little sarcastically .

"No, he was mutated with a different predator," said Max, highlighting a beast that looked like a cross between a dinosaur and a centipede. The information displayed identified it as a Tyrannopede, the natural predator of Vaxasaurians.

"So, he's been turning into a big web-shooting lizard lately?" asked Matt.

"Partially, and he's been babbling a bit more," said Max, "I'm not sure what his mutation could do to him, but I don't want to find out. I've already seen somebody lose themselves because of the Nemetrix, I won't let another happen."

"Ah..." said Matt, twitching again before going rigid as he heard a voice in his head say "Nanite reboot complete...DNA scan complete..." before he said "Is this a bad time to ask for tranquillizer?"

"What for?" asked Max with worry, "You're not about to go feral, are you?"

"No idea...my nanites are saying things...weird things," said Matt darkly, before hiccupping. Matt raised an eyebrow before flinching as Matt hiccupped again. His hiccups started to increase in frequency, much to his annoyance. At the same time Matt's wrist comp, now built into his cyber arm began beeping madly and crackling before there was a flash and a crash.

When Max looked, Matt was sticking halfway through the door, the metal sliding door. "Medic..." he groaned weakly. He was also human again, though his eyes still had similar colors to his Loboan form. As Max watched, his cyberarm slowly slotted back to a human form .

"Matt, what do you have integrated into your body?" asked Max.

"I lost my arm 3 months ago. My life sucks by the way. Now about that medic. I think my spine's broken," moaned Matt before slowly falling out the new hole and onto the floor.

"I think you might need a more experienced doctor," said Max.

"Nah, I get broken bones every other week. Just need a patch job which is not yet here!" snapped Matt. Matt rubbed the top of his head before pausing. "Mirror...where's a mirror?" he snapped, looking in the door and seeing his human reflection...well, apart from the eyes but beggars couldn't be choosers. "I think you're right about seeing a more experienced doctor...but not before my back is fixed. MEDIC!"

...

A few minutes later and he and Kai, also in her human form, with yellow eyes, were being prodded by who matt thought off as 'the Galvan equivalent of Dumb and Dumber'. "Can we get a real medic? Or the mascot?" he said carefully .

"It's a simple spinal column realignment," said Driba, "We can have it done in a few seconds once we've located the displaced vertebrate."

"But the nanites fixed it before I got here...and I thought you were checking to see why we're human again," said Matt, whimpering a little .

"Oh, we can't explain that," said Driba.

"Sure, it's cause you're werewolves," said Blukic.

"They are not real werewolves," said Driba.

"They're like real werewolves," said Blukic.

"Werewolves?" said Kai.

Matt grinned and calling "SECURITY!" As soon as the guards came in, Matt said, "Get these two little quacks out of my sight and find me an _actual_ doctor."

"Not that's not very nice," said Blukic.

"Neither's your knowledge of medicine. Werewolves don't exist...sometimes," said Matt, pausing .

"Fortunately, where you'll be going will have trained medical professionals who'll have a better answer," said Max.

"Pardon?" asked Matt.

"As I was saying before your hiccup fit, Khyber needs to be transported to a Galvan hospital center to deal with his Tyrannopede mutation before it becomes irreversible," said Max, "And I'm positive there's enough Galvan physicians to explain your condition."

"Finally, answers. Will a cure be included?" said Matt hopefully, groaning as Max said "Afraid not, it'll probably take a while to make one but it'll be a start."

"Fine, whatever, anything else we should know about Khyber?" asked Matt.

"Don't leave him alone. Even unmutated he's extremely dangerous," warned Max .

"Got it," said Matt, "Let's move out before I need another haircut."

...

Khyber, unmutated, watched with his usual calm demeanor as Magister Tennyson walked towards his cell. "To what do I owe this visit?" he said calmly .

"You're going to the doctor," said Max sternly.

"I'm touched that you care for my well-being," said Khyber in a taunting manner.

Max glared before Matt walked into view. "I don't think he does. I know I don't but we're going there anyway and you turning into a giant monster from a giant moron and pain."

"Well, well, Admiral Lynch," said Khyber, "This is an unexpected surprise."

"Wrong timeframe. I'm back when h was more carefree and bloodthirsty and didn't have to worry about silly things like getting you there alive. I'm your ride," said Matt conversationally .

"Well, this will be entertaining," said Khyber.

"For me, yes. If you try anything or even look at me or my crew, I'll vent you out an airlock and hyperspeed and let the wormhole wall disintegrate you," said Matt calmly.

"Enough, Matt," said Max, "He needs to go to the treatment center."

Matt looked at Khyber who was smirking "That's all down to him; he behaves or not," he said.

Khyber said smoothly, "I have every reason to get...treatment so getting there is in my own interest."

"You don't look so bad to me," said Kala, who had come along.

"Oh, it doesn't act up all the time. Mostly when I'm angry, stressed, or hungry," said Khyber, "Come to think of it, I am rather...puckish..." Suddenly, he lit up with red light as his body surged in size and shifted drastically in form. In less than five seconds, he was a massive Tyrannopede and roaring loudly while slamming against the walls.

Matt somehow managed to keep his voice level and said. "If he does that on the ship I _will_ flush him."

"Just make sure he doesn't get hungry and don't antagonize him," said Max, "He'll calm down in a minute and then we'll be able to feed him."

"What do we look like, zookeepers?" retorted Matt. When Max gave him a stern look, Matt said, "Fine, we'll make sure he gets there safe and sound, even if he doesn't deserve it. Right, Kala? Kala?"  
>Kala meanwhile was almost white, the Tyrannopede eyeing her. "I'm...not feeding anything to him," she said weakly.<p>

"Oh don't tell me you're scared of that overgrown lizard," said Matt.

"HE'S AN OVERGROWN CENTIPEDE!" snapped Kala, "A GIANT CENTIPEDE WITH MORE CLAWS AND FANGS THAN A CENTIPEDE OUGHT TO HAVE!"

"I know, I'm trying not to scream myself. But we have guns and he'll be in an armored cell," said Matt calmly .

The Tyrannopede growled and ran its tongue around its lips. Kala got as far away from the cell as possible. Matt turned to Max and said, "Just as well that he's not a big spider. That would freak Chloe out."

"I'm not sure. Chloe's been acting...weird," said Kala, glad to have an excuse to avoid the subject of Khyber's current form, who was currently switching his attention to a mechanical arm holding some meat in his cell .

"We've got a pretty narrow definition of 'weird'," said Matt.

"I'll tell you on the ship," said Kala, walking out with one final look at Khyber before yelping as she swallowed the meat chunk in one bite .

After swallowing the meat, Khyber shifted back to his normal form and said, "I look forward to our voyage, Captain Lynch."

Matt nodded weakly, shoving his human hand behind his back when it sprouted claws briefly from the stress.

...

Kala wasn't the only one creeped out by Khyber. The experiments were also rather hesitant to have him aboard, particularly Draco.

"Ok, helping Ben's girlfriend, I get. Why are we helping someone who on any other day would mount us on his wall...and can turn into something that can eat us?" Draco said, the experiment foursome discussing what matt had signed them up for .

"Because the Galvans at that medical facility will probably also be able to help us with this nanite problem," said Chip.

"So? We could still take Kai," said Draco stubbornly .

"Apparently, an old partner of Max's wore the Nemetrix himself at some point," said Chip, "He was left untreated and the mutation consumed his personality. Max didn't want to see it happen to anyone else."

"Big difference, I doubt this guy _has_ friends. He tried to kill Ben for sport," snapped Draco.

"Look, would you want to see anyone you know, friend or enemy, get their mind pulped by something that could be treated in time?" asked Matt.

There was a pause before Morph asked, "Is this one of those trick questions I heard about?"

The other experiments had jumped though. "How long were you listening?" asked Chip carefully.

"Oh, for quite some time," said Matt, "These new ears can pick up the scurrying of mice in the walls. Or in this case, spiderbots in the walls." The experiments gulped at that as Matt decided to tease them a bit. "So...maybe being able to get the drop on you's worth the minor inconvenience of taking back my 'mostly human' card again?" he said, before it backfired.

"Aw, I always wanted a puppy. But everyone says I'm not good enough to have one," said Morph.

Matt twitched, his ears becoming pointed as he snapped, "I AM NOT A PUPPY!"

"Temper, temper," said Chip, "You really need to moderate your anger."

Matt snarled at that as Contrinus said warningly. "Guys?" as Matt got out the fish, now an impromptu stress toy and began squeezing it.

"Personally, I'm not seeing a lot of difference between dragon temper and Loboan temper," said Draco.

"Well, dragons don't make a mess on the carpet," said Chip.

"Guys...really..." said Contrinus, flying up to the ceiling and taking cover as Matt continued to squeeze the fish, its head inflating.

"Though I do worry if Matt will maintain his captain status," said Chip.

"You think he'll be unfit to command?" asked Draco.

"Mostly that Chris would obviously be the Alpha and Matt's kind of an Omega," said Chip.

The experiments all jumped at that as the fish popped before two Loboan paws shot out and grabbed all three, lifting them up to muzzle level as it formed, Matt snarling in a deep voice, "Care to repeat that?" giving all three a great view of Loboan dentistry.

"Did I say Omega? I meant Mega," said Chip.

"What's a Mega wolf?" asked Morph.

Matts reply was to sonic howl Morph into the wall. "He's definitely the Alpha," whimpered Draco as Contrinus called "I warned you." from the ceiling.

Morph slid off the wall and asked, "So when is he gonna challenge Chris? I wanna watch."

The other experiments watched as Matt stomped out at that. "Don't give him ideas," moaned Draco.

...

Meanwhile, Ben, Rook, and Kai had gone to check on Khyber themselves and made sure he didn't do anything to escape. "Ah, Ben Tennyson. I see you brought your partner and that treacherous slimeball with you," said Khyber, "And who is this young lady? Your mate?" He smirked as he saw the two humans do that blushing thing they did when embarrassed. "Oh, did I hit a nerve?" he said calmly as he ate the lunch he'd been given .

"Hey, I don't make fun of your girlfriends," said Ben.

"I prefer a different kind of hunt than pursuing mates," said Khyber, "Females make the males easier to trap. Mating season is when a beast is at its dimmest."

Kai glared at that, Rook and Ben noticing she was snarling and that her canines looked more pronounced as Khyber continued, either not noticing or caring . "You know, I would have expected the legendary Tennyson to have picked a more exotic mate. Perhaps some alien hybrid of some kind for variety's sake. But I suppose all you humans care about is how attractive your mates are," said Khyber.

Kai literally snarled at that, slamming her hands into the cell's energy field as her Loboan DNA began to activate from her anger .

Khyber raised an eyeridge at that. "Oh, a Loboan. Well, that changes everything," he said, "You know, I've always admired the Loboans. They're the top predators in their ecosystem, even taking down each other. I considered adding Loboan DNA to the Nemetrix, but that would have been too odd considering you have your own Loboan form. I suppose she really likes that one, doesn't she?"

"Miss Green. I think you need to calm down," said Rook carefully as Kai eyed Khyber angrily.

"Just give me five minutes with that jerk," growled Kai.

"As much as I'd like to see you kick his butt, I'm betting Khyber knows how to fight Loboans," said Ben, "And I'd rather not take the chance that he'll go Tyrannopede and swallow you whole."

Kai paused at that, seemingly finally noticing she'd shifted form. "Urgh…the sooner this is fixed..." she moaned sadly.

"Fixed? I think you'd make a perfect specimen of Loboan," said Khyber, "That fur would look lovely on my floor."

This prompted another snarl from Kai. Just then, Aria's voice said over the PA, "All hands prepare for hyperjump." There was a tingling at that, blue electricity running over the ship before there was a flash and the brief unpleasant feeling of being everywhere within a few thousand lightyears at once before the engines hyperjump corridor properly formed and it shot forward. When vision came back, almost everyone looked a little unwell, a feeling of their stomachs being left behind magnified a million times. Only Kai looked happy, a dazed content look on her snout.

"What's with her?" asked Ben as he struggled to keep his lunch in, if it was even in his stomach anymore.

Aria appeared at that. "It's my fault. The jump engine's a little unstable without the positronic board. Some species of canine have their pleasure centers stimulated by the energy," she said before setting off an alert siren in the room to snap Kai out of her happy place.

"Huh, wonder how Matt is right now," said Ben.

"I shall see to him momentarily," said Aria before glancing at Khyber and adding, "And might I suggest you not spend too much time with this...reprobate." Khyber opened his mouth to speak before the energy field went opaque. "I've read his file. He's a serial killing madman in my opinion who would have been shot years ago back in my time," she said icily, surprising Ben and Rook with her tone before Kai finally shook her head.

"Oh...that was weird," she said to herself .

"Seemed kinda fun," said Ben, "But not the kinda thing to do for a date."

"Oh dear, he's trying to be romantic," said Skurd, "I trying to recover from my nausea, thank you very much."

"You do not have a stomach," pointed out Rook, "You feed off of DNA."

"Even single-celled organisms can be sick," said Skurd.

Aria muttered to Rook with a smirk, "Maybe Blitzwolfer and Kai could have a date? At the rate Kala's annoying Matt, she'll be bitten before the end of the week and they can double date."

"I am not certain we should be encouraging them," said Rook.

"Then again, it's the best opportunity they'll have at courtship," said Skurd dryly.

"Oh sure, take courtship advice from the guy who does mitosis or whatever you Slimebiotes do," said Ben before saying to Kai, "I think I literally did leave my lunch back in Earth's orbit, wanna get something to eat?"

"There are 6 cafeterias in this section of the ship. Don't eat the meatloaf, it has a habit of moving and we only make it for prisoners and Morph. He likes it," said Aria sagely .

As the group went away, Khyber's voice called out mockingly, "She just might be a keeper, Tennyson. I'm sure you two will have cute little pups someday."

...

Meanwhile, on a backwater station near to the Nullspace entrance, the proper one, a bar sat. It was, to aim a cliché at it, was a hive of scum and villainy. It also did great cider.  
>One of the patrons was a bounty hunter that was in a particularly sour mood. "I nearly had that weasel, but then he slipped a hold in the wall," grumbled Lucius, "I should have expected that, I should have planned ahead."<p>

"Same again, Lucius?" asked the waitress, a Kineceleran .

"Yes, and make it quick," said Lucius.

"That never gets old," said the Kineceleran dryly.

Lucius checked his wrist comp at that, looking for any local contracts. "Ben, Ben, Ben...reject. I'm not an idiot," he muttered, rejecting several dozen underworld contract to kill Tennyson. Better ones then him had tried and failed, sometimes spectacularly. He carried on skipping before a private message appeared.

Lucius clicked on that option and a pale face appeared on his wrist comp. "Mr. Lucius, I assume you are currently unengaged in any standing contracts," said the face.

Lucius glared. "What business is it of yours?" he snapped, reaching for the disconnect. The way this person spoke annoyed him .

"Because I believe there's one whom you have an unsettled score with that I would appreciate disappearing,' said the face.

"Who? I have many enemies." said Lucius, pausing, part of him silently hoping this person didn't say the one name he didn't want to hear .

"One Matthew Lynch, who is in a vulnerable state at the moment," said the face.

"No. I have enough trouble just running afoul of him randomly. An attack on him is a death sentence. So unless he has somehow forgotten all the times we met then good day," said Lucius, reaching again .

"Perhaps I have not stated how he is so vulnerable now," said the face, "This version of Mr. Lynch is time-displaced, from the time period in which you had stripped him of his dragon powers. Considerably more vulnerable and if you eliminate him, the current Admiral Lynch would go out like a candle."

Lucius paused before smirking. "You don't say..." he said evilly .

"And to sweeten the deal, he's currently transporting your old hunting rival, Khyber," said the face.

"And a chance to kill that little show off too. I charge 500 mill for Lynch...and Khyber's a freebie," said Lucius evilly .

"I shall send you the coordinates. Better hurry if you want to catch them in time," said the face.

The line went dead at that, Lucius turned to the waitress. "Hold that drink, but contact some old friends. I'll need a hand with this," he said, remembering how...unpredictable Matt had been.

...

Matt, finally back to normal was in the cafeteria, glaring at the experiments and Kala, unknowingly munching on meatloaf which was squeaking. "It appears Loboans really can eat any meat," observed Contrinus.

"There's actual meat in that?" asked Draco with surprise.

"No idea. It ate the microscope when we tried to analyze it," said Kala grimly .

"And Morph eats that stuff?" asked Draco.

"Well..." said Kala, turning to look at Morph who was crossing blades with his own serving of meatloaf.

"We dull more kitchen knives that way," said Chip.

Matt absently whacked his own serving on the table as Kai came in, yawning and still as a Loboan. "Hey guys," she called cheerfully, walking over to the experiments .

"Hi Kai, nice fur coat," said Morph before the meatloaf disarmed him and tackled him.

Kai noticed the meatloaf at that and growled faintly before lunging at it, gobbling it down before she realized what she'd done. "Oh, sorry, Morph...tastes like chicken..." she said before pausing and picking out an antenna. "It's not chicken, is it?"  
>Aria appeared at that, "No, I suppose I should say it's space weevil." Kai's face turned green through the fur and she rushed for the trash can. Aria smirked at that. "That'll teach her not to sharpen her claws on the walls as she walks," she said happily .<p>

"She's a nice girl," said Contrinus, "I wonder why it took Ben and her so long to hook up?"

"Because she wanted to make a pet out of Blitzwolfer, or Benwolf as he was then called," said Chip.

"Oh yeah," said Draco, "Think we ought to dye her hair or OW!"

The last part was from when Kala grabbed him by the ear. "We're leaving Kai alone," she warned, glaring at Draco.

Kai meanwhile had wandered over to Matt, sitting down opposite him. "Everyone says you...put up with this for a long time," she said finally.

"I was only furry for only a few hours before I bit you at most," said Matt.

"No...I mean...suddenly being..." began Kai, hesitating as she spotted the verbal mine ahead.

"Not being entirely human?" finished Matt, looking up finally .

"Well, yeah," said Kai.

"It sucks. You got it good. You won't have to worry. My Earth has no extraterrestrial contact. I go home and this comes out, if I'm lucky, I'll be shot," said Matt bitterly.

"I suppose it must be hard losing your dragon form then getting a wolf form," said Kai.

"I wasn't that upset about losing my dragonhood," said Matt even more bitterly, "Yes, I was pretty vulnerable and there were a lot of villains who'd take a piece of me, but I would have been able to go home. That fin-faced bounty hunter actually did me a favor in shutting off my nanites. For the first time in almost as long as I can remember, I had a chance of going back home without the risk of being shipped to a lab and dissected. I would have had to hide the arm, but that would have been small potatoes compared to actually being home. And now the door's been slammed in my face again."

Everyone turned in shock as Matt swept the table clean in anger, his remaining meatloaf making a squeaking bid for freedom across the floor. "My life's over...AGAIN! With the added goddamn bonus that Loboans are on the Nullspace restricted list in my time," he snapped .

"Matt, it's not that impossible," said Kai, "It can be fixed if we just get that mirror."

Matt laughed and asked, "You really think it'll be easy? You think that Archon guy is just gonna wait for us to catch up with him? You think we can just say, 'Hi, can we borrow your mirror for a little bit and a cup of sugar while we're at it?' You think he'd just say 'Sure, here you go, would you like to stay for tea?' Does that sound even the least bit likely?!"

Kai shook her head at that before Matt continued. "The revenites were the most vicious monsters to ever inhabit Nullspace. The NSC and Combine have wars as least twice a decade and they _teamed up_ to beat these guys...and they almost didn't," he said darkly .

"He's just one guy," pointed out Draco.

"I faced one guy before, he nearly conquered a planet single handedly," said Matt, glaring at Draco

"But you got us now," said Morph cheerfully.

Matt just raised an eyebrow. "Really? You think you guys can make that big a difference?" he said disbelievingly.

"Now that's hurtful," said Contrinus.

"No, it's me being bitter," said Matt coldly, walking out of the cafeteria.

"Kala, maybe you should go cheer him up," said Contrinus.

"I'm not his callgirl," said Kala in an annoyed tone.

"Well, I guess it's up to me," said Morph pulling out a top hat and cane before tapdancing out of the cafeteria after Matt.

...

"You think just because Queen Tenebra is...not herself at the moment that we are common thugs?" said the black camouflaged trooper to Lucius.

"If we eliminate Lynch, Tenebra will back to her former power and perhaps stronger than before," said Lucius.

"You say this is the past Matt, when our glorious queen was aboard? Destroying her would eradicate us all," snapped the trooper.

"That's why we're going to use something you never heard off: finesse," said Lucius smugly .

"Are you saying we're not capable assassins?" demanded another trooper.

"Yes," said Lucius bluntly.

"Fine, I suppose you'll need a warp web to pull them out of hyperspace. It'll of course cost you. We need money like everyone else," said the trooper icily .

"I'll have money to burn after this," said Lucius.

"Fine, 2 squads shall meet you at the coordinates. Try to bring them back alive. They contain two of our remaining ascended," snapped the trooper, the line going dead .

Lucius shrugged and said, "Chances are they'll go poof if we win, so what would it matter?"

...

Mina meanwhile had not been enjoying her time on the crew. Matt, seemingly a little merrily, had stuck her with the most boring jobs he could find, ranging from tending the biosphere deck, though that wasn't too bad given it was basically a forest on the ship, even down to animals, to janitorial duty and the night watch on the command deck. She hadn't even been allowed to properly meet the ship's visitor, some tripe about time paradoxes being the reason which Mina knew perfectly well was ridiculous.

Tonight she was on clean-up in one of the hangers, her superior, in her head was a right 'ape'. "Mina, you finished with that spill?" called the aforementioned superior at that .

"Don't we have better things to clean it with?" asked Mina, "I'm pretty sure that rags and soap water aren't as efficient as other means."

"Real tools aren't for stowaways," snapped the engineer .

"Oh, come on!" snapped Mina, "Even I know that's a bunch of-"

"Any more lip and we'll be using that soap water to clean out your mouth," said the engineer.

Mina glared as the engineer walked off with a smirk. 'Jerk, bet my godfather wouldn't be happy to hear about this,' she thought . This wasn't the first time she's been belittled by lower members of the crew, whom seem to richly enjoy getting to boss around someone that was an even lower rank than she was. She was starting to feel like the girl in that one bedtime story. What was it, Cynderella?

"Huh, this is boring. Why can't something interesting happen? It's not like it's going to knock me off my feet," she muttered before the ship jerked violently, throwing everyone forward.

...

Alarms rang on every deck as the Novus Star was forcibly dragged out of hyperspace by a small satellite. Almost everyone was thrown off their feet, or in worse cases, over railings or into equipment. Anything not secured, despite weight was also tossed around. It was just what was needed for the trio of strike craft near the satellite.

...

"Report, what the hell was that?" called Matt into an intercom, having been thrown from his bunk.

"Would you believe the emergency brake was pulled?" asked Aria.

"Do we have one?" asked Matt.

"No, but something has literally stopped us in our tracks," said Aria.

"Commander, this is watch. We got three ships closing fast, looks like dropships...and a third ship matches that Lucius guy's ship," said a second voice, sounding panicky, "They're headed for Hanger 8. Intercoms are out down there, we can't warn them."  
>Matt went pale, "Mina," he said weakly.<p>

...

Mina groaned as she sat up. She whacked her head hard in the big lurch and it was throbbing so hard she thought it'd split in half. "What the hell did you do, stowaway?" snapped the engineer, staggering forward as the hanger team went to work dealing with damage

"Me? How could I possibly be responsible?" snapped Mina.

"I wouldn't put it past you." snapped the engineer as a drilling noise was heard from the hanger.

"If you want to blame someone, blame whoever's drilling," said Mina.

The two turned to see a hail of sparks from the door, the emergency shielding sealing it, but not before a canister rolled in. "BOMB!" yelled the engineer before running.

Mina yelped before the canister exploded in a rapidly expanding cloud of black smoke that seemed almost alive how it dived at everyone as it filled the room and out into the corridors

Mina coughed as the smoke stung her eyes and nostrils, but it didn't seem to do more than that. The smoke finally cleared, the coughing stopping though there was now snarling and some mad laughter...oh and alot of screaming as an automated message said, "Alert: A hostile nanite cloud has been detected on decks 3 through 6...these areas will seal in 30 seconds."

Mina had a nasty flash of Deja vu and knew she had to get out of there quick. "All unaffected personnel...proceed to safe zones..." said the voice calmly, Mina running into the corridor and freezing.

The effects on the crew was rapidly becoming apparent. The humans were bursting out of their uniforms as they grew scales, fangs, claws, wings, and tails. The last time Mina had seen this, she has been hiding from the rampaging beasts these people were about to become. Now she was seeing what they did to the unaffected; the splitters and the rarer human that didn't get a big enough dose.

She was froze in place till one of the ex-crew turned to look at her and hissed. It was at that point that she screamed.

...

Matt pushed his way into the command deck, which was hectic. "We got multiple breaches, unidentified troopers breaching everything below deck 11," said a technician .

"Has Khyber gotten loose too?" asked Matt.

"No. I sealed that section though some of the intruders are trying to cut their way through. Sir, I think they're using the Avalar virus," said Aria .

"What? How is that possible?" demanded Matt.

"Well, as you would recall, we are 6 years in the future," said Aria.

"Great, some moron weaponized a doomsday weapon. Tell me we have antidote or something," snapped Matt .

"Well, as you recall, there is a remedy for the virus and I do not believe we have any dragons onboard who will object to its human-only end result," said Aria.

"Neutralize that cloud, then I want teams ready to go in," said Matt, angrily, his eyes glowing before pausing, "Wait...did you say, below deck 11?"

"We are already trying to locate Ms. Lumina," said Aria.

"I'm more worried that Ben, Kai and rook and the experiments have their quarters on floor 10," said Matt .

"The virus only affects humans and dragons. The only human among them is Master Tennyson and chances are his Omnitrix will detected the incoming virus and transform him to prevent his being affected," said Aria.

"Get a team immunized and meet me down there. I'm going to evict some annoyances," snapped Matt.

...

Meanwhile, the experiments and Tennyson and co were trying to find their way through the corridors and work out what was going on. "Don't split up, that's how they pick you off one by one," said Morph.

Draco gulped. "I dunno what's more frightening, the mutants or the fact Morph's making good points," he said weakly .

"I am more concerned about what could have caused this," said Rook.

"He's right, infestations like this don't just happen without causes," said Chip.

Kai sniffed the air. "Smells nasty...like...rotten eggs," she said weakly before pausing as several black armored guards walked into view.

"There's three of them. Shoot to kill!" said their leader.

"Scatter!" shouted Draco.

"No, bad-" started Morph before his head was blown off. He regrew it and finished, "Idea."

Draco yelped as he had to dodge several rounds. "Why are they shooting at us?" he moaned .

"Does it matter at this time?" snapped Chip.

One of them was eyeing the others before tossing a smaller version of the canister from the hanger at Ben. Suddenly, the Omnitrix core popped up and Ben made no hesitation in hitting it. In a flash, he was Blitzwolfer and swatted the canister back at the intruders.

"Oh shi-" began the trooper before there was a blast of black smoke that flooded the corridor, the trooper screaming as the others wiped it away. Ben growled before trying the timeout so he could switch to XLR8 only for the Omnitrix to buzz.

"Warning, unknown nanite saturation at dangerous levels," said the Omnitrix, "Activating form lock until nanites are purged."

Ben said, "Uh oh," and pressed it again before a scaled form lunged at him, wearing what was left of the black armor.

"Killllll..." it hissed.

"Hey, back off," said Blitzwolfer before punching the creature in the face. The creature's head whipped back before it leaned back in, its muzzle looking a little longer at that before it roared in his face...and was sonic howled flying by Blitzwolfer.

"Impressive," said Chip, "Though I worry that form's gonna be enough to handle all of these things."

"Fear not, this is exactly what I'm here for," said Skurd before demonstrating by wrapping a slimy tendril around Blitzwolfer's left arm and turning it into a flaming mace.

The remaining troopers began firing at the group at that...right up until Kai pounced on them. The she-wolf's claws made very large holes in their armor and her strength was more than sufficient to send them flying. The survivors quickly ran for it, leaving an angry and snarling Kai who turned to look at them with the same expression, before shaking her head and coming to her senses

"Uh, wow, that was impressive," said Blitzwolfer. Kai gulped before shaking a bit. "Kai, you ok?" asked Blitzwolfer.

"I...I had no control, Ben..." said Kai weakly, shaking a bit.

"Well, if you're still worried about this when these marauders are dealt with, there are plenty of people here you can talk with," said Chip, "All three Lynches for instance."

On cue, the PA said, "Warning...warning...hostile nanite saturation detected. Atmo saturation at 32% and rising...all remaining personnel...activate emergency purge in environmental control."

...

Lucius watched from a vent as Kai had decimated the Dark Empire marauders. "Never mess with the female of the species," he muttered before continuing down the vent. If his memory served, this would lead to the brig and he had just the weaponry to deal with this spidery pests that would be guarding them too.

Line break

Khyber wasn't feeling any panic. It was rather amusing to watch his guards struggling against the intruders. He didn't think it likely someone would have come to rescue him and if it weren't for the fact that he actually needed to go be treated, he'd use this opportunity to escape. But someone appeared outside his cell that definitely confirmed he wasn't being rescued. "Lucius, it's been quite some time," said Khyber conversationally.

"Khyber, I cannot say how much I'm enjoying this moment. Didn't I warn you that working with that crab would result in your undoing? Or that the Tennyson kid was outside your weight class? You even lost your pet, unless she got vaporized." Lucius taunted .

"She ran off, the ungrateful mongrel," said Khyber, "No one appreciates the true art of the hunt anymore."

"Or she just got sick of your ego," said Lucius cockily .

"So, I don't suppose you're here to let me out for old time's sake," said Khyber.

"No, I'm here to put you out of my misery." said Lucius calmly, pressing in a code on the cell door, a voice saying "Enviromental override accepted...please enter second code to activate cell oxygen purge."  
>"Goodbye, Khyber," said Lucius calmly before a bullet demolished the controls.<p>

Lucius turned to see a familiar if younger face. "Captain Lynch, I was hoping for this opportunity," said Lucius.

"Lucius, I was hoping for a rematch. This time I have guns," said Matt cockily, aiming two SMG'S at Lucius who dodged to the side as Matt opened fire .

"No plasma powers I see. This will almost be too unsporting," said Lucius.

Khyber said, "Lucius, I know you hate me but you should know that-"

"If you want a more dignified death, I suggest you keep your mouth shut," snarled Lucius.

Khyber just smirked before whistling. Matt winced before snapping, "Cut it out!"

"Make me," said Khyber before whistling again.

Lucius smirked before punching Matt a few times and knocking him back against the wall and drawing his sword. "Maybe I will let you live, Khyber? You just made my day and changed my career for the better," he said aiming a blow as Khyber said. "Whoever said I was helping you?" as Matt, his hand transforming to Loboan form shot up and grabbed Lucius's wrist .

"Who do you think gave Tennyson's girlfriend her condition?" said Khyber smugly.

Lucius turned down to yelp as the now-transformed Matt lifted him up and threw him across the bay. "I never usually eat fish, but I think I can make an exception for you," growled Matt .

Lucius responded by splitting a large blot of acid ink at Matt. Matt dodged the attack, but it landed on the front of Khyber's cell. Lucius glared at Matt who growled. "You come into my ship, tried to kill my girl, I'll tear you to shreds!" he snapped, lunging at Lucius who barely dodged, nobody noticing the ink burning through the floor and to the circuitry controlling the cell door .

"You will cause me much misery in your future career," snarled Lucius, "And I am going to make sure that will never happen."

Matt's response was to leap over Lucius's attempted side slash, landing on his shoulders and sending him flying before attempting to punch him, Lucius rolling to the side and Matt's claw tearing through the floor . The weakened structure partially gave out under the force of Matt's blow. But not completely, it just buckled enough for it to trap Matt's arm in the floor. Matt growled and tried to pull free, but the metal held his arm too tightly and, rather unfortunately, it was his arm that was still flesh.

Lucius smirked at that, readying his blade. "Too easy," he smirked.

Matt winced as Lucius prepared to bring down his blade, but then a large sheet of metal hit Lucius. Lucius turned to see Khyber stepping out of his wrecked cell. "I don't have a high opinion of Captain Lynch, but I think his presence in history is significant enough to not want him prematurely dead," said Khyber.

Lucius scoffed and said, "You have no weapons, no pets, and no powers. You can't compete with me."

"Not quite, old friend," said Khyber, "I always have my honed skill. Also, your intrusion has made me rather...aggravated." With a flash of red light, Khyber swelled up into his Tyrannopede form and roared loudly.

Matt and Lucius stared at that before Lucius sprinted for the door. The Tyrannopede roared before charging after Lucius. "Yeah, go get that walking guppy," cheered Matt before starting in shock as Khyber effortlessly tore through the door frame that Lucius had ran through.  
>He looked at his arm at that before going cross-eyed as he got a weird urge to gnaw it off. "Oh, please let that cure come soon," he growled to himself before pulling on his arm again.<p>

...

"Hurry up! The sooner we have this ship under control, the sooner we can get out of here!" yelled the lead marauder, his team trying to open the environment sampler to empty their gas grenades into it

"I'm trying, but this stupid computer's not cooperating," snapped another marauder.

"Then get it to cooperate!" snapped the leader before turning to see several people come in. "Plumbers," he said darkly, before saying, "I'll deal with this."

The Revonnahgander held up a Plumber's badge and said, "You are under arrest for attempted hijacking, attempted murder, and illegal use of biological weapons. Surrender now or we shall have to use force."

"Oh dear, whatever will I do?" said the leader scathingly before looking at the experiments. "Chip Pelekai..." he said darkly, clicking a pair of handles off his belt and igniting two dark purple ion blades.

"Do I know you?" asked Chip.

"I don't suppose you do yet," said the figure with an evil tone before his form began to shift into an anthro draconic form.

"Ah, Shar-Virk, I thought something seemed familiar about these guys," said Draco.

"Now then, who's first?" sneered the Virk .

The group braced for battle when someone started shoving through the marauders. "Out of my way!" snapped Lucius as he pushed his way through the front, past the Shar-Virk, and towards the Plumbers.

Blitzwolfer grabbed him and said, "Where do you think you're going, Fishface?"  
>Lucius gibbered, "It's coming! IT'S COMING!"<p>

"What is?" asked Kai before a loud roar was heard. Everyone turned to see a big Tyrannopede lumbering towards them, roaring in a very carnivorous sort of way. There was that usual moment of silence before one of the troopers screamed and everyone scrambled to get out the way.

Of course, this only enticed the Tyrannopede to start pursuing them, shooting webbing from its horn.

One trooper sadly turned and tried to fight, vanishing with a 'nom' noise as the Tyrannopede swallowed him, ignoring the gunfire.

The marauders didn't require any more encouragement to flee, even though the Shar-Virk was trying to shadow blast the big predator. He eventually ducked aside and activated his comm. "Have you located our secondary target yet?" he demanded.  
>"We got her but she's freaking out," said the voice of the second team, another voice in the background saying "You will come with us, you ma-" before the line went dead in conjunction with a terrified female scream.<p>

The Shar-Virk swore loudly in draconic before a puff of hot air wafted over him. He looked behind him to see that the Tyrannopede was right over him. "Oh sh-" he began before the Tyrannopede chomped over his top half and shook him back and forth before going wide eyed and spitting him out.

The Tyrannopede gagged a bit before picking up a more appetizing scent. It quickly lumbered off to find its prey. The Tyrannopede immediately homed in on the male Loboan, a small part of his brain recognizing the symbol on its chest .

As the Tyrannopede charged towards Blitzwolfer, Lucius yelped, grabbed Blitzwolfer's collar, and yelled, "He's trying to eat me! Do something!"

"Hey, get your fins off me," said Blitzwolfer as he tried to push Lucius off. Neither of them noticed Lucius briefly grabbing the Omnitrix or its brief flash of yellow light.

"That is ENOUGH!" roared a voice, a black orb slamming into the Tyrannopede. The draconian stalked out of where he'd landed at that, his eyes glowing white .

The Tyrannopede turned and roared at the Shar-Virk only for another orb to hit him in the stomach. The Tyrannopede coughed and wheezed at that for suddenly throwing up the marauder it swallowed earlier. "I got eaten..." said the marauder weakly.

"Shut up!" scolded the Virk before sending one final blast that caused the Tyrannopede to make a whine and pass out. "Ok, now that's been dealt with," he snapped, looking around.

Just then, the PA announced, "Environmental lockdown is disengaged. Atmospheric recycling engaged."

The Virk stopped and scanned the dazed heroes before noticing a significant member was gone. "Chip!" he snapped before he noticed the others were surrounding him.

"This is your last chance to give up before things get ugly," said Blitzwolfer.

"I could say the same to you," said the Shar-Virk smugly .

"He's a shadow dragon, so keep a light on him and he won't be able to get away," said Draco.

"Got it," said Morph before turning into Topper and lighting up.

The reply was for the Virk to pull out a blaster that covered Morph in a gunk that rapidly hardened before aiming a spinning kick that caught Draco in the chest as he lunged . Rook shot a net ought of his Proto-Tool, but the Virk caught it and swung it around Kai as she lunged in.

A far door opened at that, several ship marines running in and firing, only to be killed as the Virk sent several spikes of shadows into them before he flipped over Blitzwolfer's lunge and kicked his back . Blitzwolfer shot fire out of his Heatblast mace at the Virk. The reply was for the Virk to vanish into the ground, appearing behind Blitzwolfer and spinning him into the path of another net .

"Skurd, I need Chromastone," said Ben.

"Just a moment," said Skurd before the Heatblast mace dissolved into goo and a Chromastone arm wielding a shield made of its crystalline material replaced it.

The Virk smirked at that, looking over at the struggling Kai and shifting into the shadows, reappearing at the door before aiming a thumb at the far 'wall. "Exterior door," he said smugly, hitting a button.

He was content to remain where he was when he was suddenly knocked off his feet by a sonic howl. Once his head stopped rattling, he looked up to see what looked like someone wearing Shar-Khan crystal armor. However, the muzzle of the armor was currently converted into a megaphone-like shape. The dark blue of the armor made it easy to deduce who was wearing it.  
>"Scythe...or is it still Matt? I was never good at tenses," he taunted as the armored Loboan circled before being distracted as a voice said. "Priming hanger 3 doors...1 minute to breach."<p>

"Normally, I'd ask who sent you, but I'm trying to avoid spoilers," said Matt.

"I come in service of our glorious dark queen...and money," said the Virk before lunging at Matt who was forced to dodge back from the storm of blade slashes. "If you beat me, I'll let you cancel the airlock cycle," he taunted .

"Oh, is that all it takes?" asked Matt before throwing a few orbs of solar plasma.

The Virk just smirked, dodging each shot easily. "Far too easy. Show me your A-game, Scythe," he laughed .

"Try and find me," said Matt before attempting to create several holographic copies to confuse the Virk. However, the holograms were very faded and did not last very long.

The Virk laughed and said, "Your armor does not restore all of your lost powers. The best they can emulate is the bluntest and less subtle abilities."

Matt glared at that before he received several blows to his chest and head, before being rammed into the wall. "I know every trick you ever did, you tau-" he began before going cross-eyed.

"Bet he didn't teach you that," taunted Kala before grabbing the Virk's tail and breaking it over her knee.

The Virk yelled in pain as his tail broke before gasping as Matt put his fist into the Virk's chest, knocking the wind out, before kneeing him under the chin to knock him out.

"Thanks for the backup," said Matt.

"Hey, I couldn't let my bushi bu get beaten up by this salamander," said Kala.

"I can always count on you to have my back," said Matt fondly.

Then the PA said, "10 seconds until breach."

The two looked at each other before scrambling for the control panel, both of them hitting the cancel button just in time. "Cycling...aborted," said the computer calmly, the door opening again .

Matt and Kala retracted their faceplates and gave a sigh of relief. "Well, I think that wraps up everything," said Kala. Just then, she was suddenly yanked upward and backward. She was able to swing herself around enough to see she was partially caught in the Tyrannopede's mouth before she started screaming. Matt immediately jumped up, trying to pull her back while snarling at the Tyrannopede .

Draco and Morph came around the corner just then. "Matt, the Virks are, oh, I see you're already busy," said Draco, noticing the situation.

"There's only one way to appease that big dino-bug," said Morph.

"No, Morph, please, not that," pleaded Draco.

"Sorry, but sacrifices must be made," said Morph before reaching inside himself and pulling out a huge side of mutton, "Here, Khyber, here boy, you hungry?" The Tyrannopede took one look at the beef and quickly dropped Kala in favor of the less crunchy meal.  
>Kala just shook, a little zoned out as the Tyrannopede and Draco entered combat for, to them, that most important of things: mutton.<p>

"He has to be fed," said Morph as he tried to get the mutton away from Draco. Khyber apparently solved it for everyone by swallowing all three, spitting Morph and Draco back out after a minute

Khyber gave a contented burp before shrinking back to his normal form, looking a bit woozy from his experience. Just then, Rook came around the corner, a handcuffed Lucius in tow. "Khyber, you are still under arrest," said Rook as he clipped another set of handcuffs onto Khyber.

"At least you got that wretched backstabber Goanna as well," said Khyber.

"My name is Lucius," hissed Lucius.

"So? What did I say?" asked Khyber, apparently not noticing his malapropism.

"You're all jerks," muttered Lucius.

Matt nodded. "Toss em in the same cell. The others might be damaged," he said evilly, adding, "And put..." stopping when he noticed the Virk had done a vanishing act .

"Maybe it is for the best," said Rook, "Their very presence could compromise your chronological stability."

"True, but this is the future," said Matt gloomily .

"Which they would change if they inflict any great damage to you or your crew," said Rook.

"So could everyone else," said Matt.

"How many of them would be a personal threat?" asked Rook.

"How long have you got for the list?" said Draco scathingly .

"Just get those two out of my sight and start assessing damage," snapped Matt.

"Ok," said Morph cheerfully, Matt snapping "NOT YOU!"

As soon as the two hunters were taken away, Matt turned to Kala and asked, "You ok?"

Kala stared a bit blankly before saying, "You saved me from that big centipede."

"Oh, it's not anything I wouldn't have done," said Matt before Kala gave him a kiss on his furry cheek.

"I take back every mean pet-related thing I've said about you and am going to say," she said happily.

"Including this?" said Matt before licking her face.

Kala spat and snapped, "Ew! Matt, my mouth was open and everything!" She stopped and repeated herself, "My mouth was open." Matt gave her a confused look. "Your tongue, covered in nanite-saturated saliva, was in my mouth!" snapped Kala.

Matt paused before his eyes started to twitch. Rook asked "Is the admiral ok?" before Draco screamed "EVERYBODY DOWN!"

Luckily the potential explosion was diffused as Kala pulled an extinguisher off the wall and clonked it over Matt's head, snapping with each clonk "I can't believe you did that, you smegging idiot!"

"It is possible that she has not contracted enough nanites for her to become infected," said Rook, "Chloe was bitten by Kai but she didn't change." Just then, there was a chomp and a lot of splitter cursing from Kala as Matt bit Kala's hand out of self-defense.

"Yeah, pretty sure she's infected now," said Draco.

This sadly resulted in Kala doubling the pain, Draco sighing and going over to the intercom. "Medic to Hanger 3, Kala's beating Matt to a greasy smear again."

"Is he at the dazed and gibbering stage now?" asked the bored voice on the other end.

Draco glanced over and said, "Yep."

Kala, having temporarily worked out her stress, went over to the intercom and said into it, "Somebody better find Mina, she must be terrified."

...

In a badly burnt corridor, was what was left of the second marauder team, reduced to burnt skeletons, black ash coating the walls and ceiling. In the middle of it, sat Mina, hugging her legs with a twitching expression.

"You were a good girl, Mina. No one would have blamed you for what you did. It was all in self-defense," said Mina, nervously to her own reflection on the wall.

Her expression changed suddenly, becoming crueler before she said, "Anyway, they would have hurt our godfather. Didn't you enjoy giving them what they deserved?"

"They were nasty and wicked," said Mina defensively, "Who knows what they would have done to me."

The other tone came back at that, "That's right. We gave them exactly what they deserved."

"But what about our friends? Shouldn't we go find them?" asked Mina.

"If they were looking for us they would have-" began the dark tone before a light shone on her.

"We found her," said a voice before a medic ran up .

Mina blinked and suddenly seemed to realize she was surrounded by ash and bone. The medics managed to grab her before she hurt herself as she screamed...

...

Matt walked calmly into the brig, past Khyber's cell. Despite his orders, Rook had gotten Lucius in a separate cell. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" asked the bounty hunter.

"You've caused me a lot of grief lately," said Matt darkly, "I might have been grateful for you removing my dragon side, but my new Loboan side's wanting some payback."

"Oh, I'm so scared. The NSC has rules for mercs now about treating prisoners fairly," sneered Lucius as Matt opened a control panel and began to push some buttons.

"Yeah...but I'm not from NSC now," he said darkly, a voice saying "Purge in one minute...clear all organics from cell."

"Wait, what are you doing?" demanded Lucius.

"You know, I've been threatening people with tossing them out the airlock for years and I've never done it," said Matt, "But I guess there's a first time for everything."

Lucius paled at that. "Hey, let's not do something you'll regret," he said desperately.

"I highly doubt I'm going to regret this," said Matt.

"Oh yes, you will," said a voice behind him. He turned to see Kala, whose eyebrows were a bit more bushy than usual.

The computer said, "Purge ready...please activate manual release to proceed." a hatch opening to reveal a lever.

"Kala, I'm finishing some business," said Matt darkly, reaching for the lever only for Kala to grab his wrist.

"Matt, don't. Draconus might not be in your head now, but you'll become something just as bad if you do this," said Kala.

Matt glared at Kala before pushing a few buttons, the computer saying, "Purge aborted…have a nice day." Lucius let out the breath he had been holding and slumped on his bunk.

"Make no mistakes, you're going to Kyros," snapped Matt, "Pretty sure you have old playmates there too."

Kala just put her hand on his shoulder, the two walking out, Matt pausing as Khyber said conversationally. "The Lynch I read about would have pulled that lever."

"Shouldn't believe everything you read," said Matt.

* * *

><p>There's another chapter up finally and it's the first of a three-part chapter. We're engaging in some foreshadowing in this chapter, some of it relevant to later in the fic, some of it for further down the line. But there's gonna be plenty of Loboan madness in this three parts. Not so sure about how much time is going to pass between uploads. Chances are likely this is gonna upload once a week, but it may happen sooner than that. In the meantime, keep an eye out for them and please review.<p> 


	4. Mark of the Beast, pt 2

**Reticence Saga**

**The Aliens Within**

**Chapter 4: Mark of the Beast, pt. 2**

The Archon was not feeling pleased. He had heard about the Blaguana's failed attempt at assassinating Lynch. He wasn't surprised at all. In fact, he was expecting him to fail, the assassination simply being a decoy to buy the Archon some more time. But then he heard about a pair of females that Lynch had infected with his bite. This naturally caused the Archon worry. He just wanted to be left to his research, not to cause a plague.

"Analyze virus," he ordered, looking at some of the readings.

The computer processed the data before stating, "Viral program of nanite infestation, programmed to collect with bodily secretions in order to spread to other hosts."

"Dammit, this is not what I planned. Locate patients," the Archon ordered.

"All patients located on the temporally-displaced Novus Star," said the computer.

"Find the ship and plot intercept course. Prepare 3 units for deployment," said the Archon.

"Acknowledged," said the computer.

"Unlike the other races, we revenites clean up after ourselves," said the Archon, "And I'm not going to start leaving things unattended now."

...

Matt meanwhile was getting a plus and minus situation. The plus was that, thanks to Kala getting bit, the 'no contact' rule was rescinded. The bad news was she was _really_ angry with him and as such was almost permanently Loboan. So in a way, the 'no contact' rule was still in effect. It's just that the reason for maintaining it was to prevent Matt getting bitten or worse.

Matt however, was never one to take a hint, peering round a corner to Kala's room and asking, "Truce?" waving a hot dog. He received a snarl in response. "Now I know you're mad but you need to calm down," he said carefully, pulling the hot dog back, shrugging before swallowing it whole and pulling out a beef steak, again nicked from Draco's stash.

"Would a nice steak be an acceptable gift?" asked Matt before nearly yelping with pain as Kala's jaws snapped around steak and hand. He yelped as he was dragged in, Kala, in Loboan form, growling at him before pulling his hand out her snout and snatching the steak. "Well, if you're gonna behave like that, no steak for you," said Matt.

"Oh shut up. It's your fault I'm like this," snapped Kala.

"Oh, you can actually talk," said Matt, "Here I thought you'd lost your ability to speak."

Kala snapped at that, lunging at Matt and pinning him to the ground, Matt's fear causing his ears to start pointing. "You stupid idiot! You licked me, then you _bit me_...which I admit I might have earn by hitting you," she snapped, saying the last part calmly.

"Well excuse me for being friendly," said Matt.

"There's no cure without the mirror!" screamed Kala angrily, Matt yelping more as her claws dug into his shoulders.

"Kala, please retract claws," winced Matt.

Kala just glared before snapping "Why SHOULD I?" before Scout grabbed her from behind.

"Because you will regret it later if you cripple him," he said calmly.

"Yes, I need my shoulders," said Matt, wincing.

"Why should I? Let me go you..." snapped Kala before seeing Scout and getting little hearts in her eyes, Matt snapping "Again...really?"

"Er, Matt, I think you need to take control of your girlfriend," said Scout, backing up.

"How?" said Matt pointedly.

"Perhaps you should try using your Loboan charm," said Scout as he was running out of room to back up into.

"Charm? You do know who you're talking to, right?" said Matt.

"Just do it!" snapped Scout.

Matt nodded before saying "Inner wolf." over and over before opening his eyes to see he was still human.

"Matt, get your lazy tail in gear or Kala's gonna dump you for me!" snapped Scout.

Matt went bug-eyed at that, his mind slipping into the mad limbo of his imagination…

...

Scout was sitting in a big wingback armchair in a very comfortable-looking den. He was wearing civilian clothes which included a smoking jacket and a pair of glasses with which he was reading the newspaper in his hands.

Kala walked into the den, wearing a business suit that didn't look too bad even if she was a Loboan. "Honey, I'm heading off to work now," she said as she clipped her earrings on, "Gotta bring home the bacon and keep those stock marketers in line."

"Yes, dear," said Scout calmly.

"Just reminding you, we're having the Tennysons over for dinner this evening," said Kala, "Let's try and not make this into another dominance competition."

"Of course, dear," said Scout.

"And could you do a bit of dusting today? That old trophy is getting rather dirty," said Kala, looking up at Matt's head that was placed above the fireplace with his mouth wide open.

"I will, dear," said Scout.

"Alright, gotta be going. Love you," said Kala before kissing Scout on the cheek.

"Love you too, dear," said Scout as Kala went out.

A few seconds later, Matt turned to Scout and said, "Ok, she's gone. Can I get down now?"

"After I finish reading this newspaper," said Scout before turning the page, "Huh, there's going to be a big sale at Baumann's."

...

Later, Matt would think over that little daydream and realize how absolutely ridiculous it was. He'd then question the quality of the meat he had for breakfast. But at this moment, only one thing mattered: that he was about to lose Kala to another guy.

...

Scout and Kala watched as Matt seemed to stare into space for a couple of minutes, muttering nonsense to himself. "Hmm...maybe you took it a bit too far...and he's getting the shotgun," said Kala carefully, saying the last part with some urgency as Matt walked stiffly over to an emergency locker.

"YOU WON'T TURN ME INTO A TROPHY!" he snapped. The two of them yipped before running for it.

...

"Galvan flight control. This is Novus Star with 4+ patients for treatment. Requesting approach vector," said one of the crew.

"Please transmit verification data," came the reply.

"Roger that...data transmission. Please be aware, subject 1 is a criminal and will be accompanied by an armed escort," said the crewman as the ship decelerated, an angry yell heard on the intercom as everyone was staggered again.

"Confirmed, are the other patients also potentially dangerous?" came the reply.

"Only to each other," sighed the crewman, a security image showing Scout pursued by Matt, holding a plasma rifle.

"I see..." came the rather dry reply.

"Entering orbit, we should land soon as soon as the commander stops trying to assault a Plumber," said the crewman, cutting the channel just as the reply was "What the he-?"

...

Surprisingly, Matt's bout of frenzied rage hasn't triggered his Loboan nanites. Which made it a lot easier for Kala to hold him back. "Lemme at him...LET ME GO!" snapped Matt, laughing a little insanely, Scout peering closely.

"Hmm...I always thought the stories about NSC mercenaries being insane was made up," he said thoughtfully.

"ON TOP OF SPAGHEEEEEETTIIIIIII!" sang out Matt, causing both Kala and Scout to whine with pain and grab their ears. Matt grinned madly before taking another breath before a marine shot him with a tranq dart.

"Sorry, I should have warned you," moaned Kala, shaking her head to clear the headache.

"I would have thought his singing torture would have been legendary by now," said Chloe conversationally as she put another tranq dart in her rifle in case Matt woke up.

Scout nodded weakly before saying, "If anyone can cure you both though, they are down below us."

...

However, the one most able to cure them was also the one angriest at Matt at the moment. "Of all the most irresponsible actions!" snapped Azmuth, "You may have been unware of what would happen when you bit Kai and not in your right mind, but you should have known better than to have bitten Kala!" "She was bashing me repeatedly with a fire extinguisher." said Matt glumly

"And you couldn't have fended it off without having to bite her?" snapped Azmuth.

"It was an accident. I was concussed," said Matt gloomily.

"It could have been avoided in the first place if you had refrained from licking her," said Azmuth, "What were you thinking?"

"We were happy..." said Matt sadly.

Azmuth sighed and said, "I suppose I can't expect you to exert common sense all the time."

"Is there anything? A stopgap...anything?" said Matt, his voice getting desperate.

"Well, we can at least stop it from spreading any further," said Azmuth.

Matt paused at that, his self-preservation reminding him that these were Galvans so lord knows what their 'stopgap' would be but he was desperate. "Ok, what's the idea?" he asked.

"Oh, a simple nano-sterilization procedure," said Azmuth.

Matt's eyes went to pinpricks. "Nobody's sterilizing anything!" he snapped.

"Not that kind of sterilizing," said Azmuth, "I'm simply going to isolate the infection programming of your foreign nanites and switch it off."

Matt sighed with relief at that before stopping, "Ok, my life's never this easy...side effects?"

"It might take a bit to isolate the programming, but other than that, the old side effect would a period of desiccation," said Azmuth.

"Oh...oh goody," moaned Matt.

"In the meantime, do try to keep out of trouble," said Azmuth.

"It's not my fault that trouble always finds me," grumbled Matt. Azmuth rolled his eyes at that as Matt stalked out.

...

Kala sat glumly, gnawing on a steak as the door behind her opened. "Go away," she moaned.

"No time for family now?" asked Chloe as she came in.

"I'm not family yet. Would be nice if we were...mean I was married," groaned Kala, not looking up.

"I suppose it would," said Chloe, "But that'd mean you would have more of Matt to yourself."

Kala nodded happily before pausing as she saw a strange thing in the table's reflection before dodging as a blue blast hit the table, which turned into a melon. "What the hell?" Kala snapped, turning to see a hodgepodge of a creature.

"Maybe I'm being a tad too sentimental, but I don't want to lose my big brother to anyone," said the creature with Chloe's voice.

"Wait...Chloe?" she said in surprise, giving the creature a chance to lunge at her and wrap around her like a snake.

"Adopted," sneered the creature before sticking her claw _into_ Kala's head, the finger phasing through her forehead like a phantom. Kala's eyes crossed before they went into multicolored rings. "Ok, now then Kala, let's let out that inner animal," sneered the creature...

...

Matt walked towards the quarters that had been given to Scout. He had a small apology. From what he had pieced together, his future self was alot saner and had covered up his history of 'little moments'. He found that a bit hard to believe, but maybe marrying Kala tempered him down some.

He paused at the door before hitting the call button. "Scout? Scout, it's me. I'm unarmed," he called into the speaker.

"How do I know it's not a trick?" demanded Scout.

"You don't. I shouldn't have flipped out like that," said Matt glumly.

"Is that an apology?" asked Scout.

"Yes...yes I suppose it is. You did nothing but help me and Kai. I'm sorry I tried to shoot you," said Matt glumly.

A second later, Scout unlocked the door and said, "I suppose I would have been angry in those same circumstances."

Matt nodded and walked in, unclipping a hip flask that was for some reason that puzzled scout, made of wood. "A little apology, kr'ta," Matt said, pulling out two very small shot glasses.

"Wait, I heard about that stuff," said Scout, "Isn't it supposed to be poisonous to non-reptiles?"

"I had Aria dilute it. This is the dragon equivalent of shandy," said Matt cheerfully, pouring some which bubbled faintly.

"I'm not so sure it's safe," said Scout dubiously. Matt shrugged before taking his shot and coughing, his eyes spinning. "Uh, thanks, but no thanks," said Scout before he was about to pour out his glass.

"NOT ON THE FLOOR!" yelled Matt, surprising Scout to make him jerk his hand upwards, resulting in the kr'ta flying through the air, out the door, and onto a passing Morph. There was a sizzling noise before Morph popped. "Ok, point taken," groaned Matt.

"Yeah, how about I bring the drinks next time?" suggested Scout.

"What do Loboans drink to get drunk anyway?" asked Matt curiously.

"That is something I just can't tell you about," said Scout, "It's one of those things you gotta experience for yourself."

"I've drunk kr'ta as a human...and lived, try me," said Matt confidently.

...

"Ok, that, uh, was some pretty...stuff," said Matt a little incoherently. He and Scout had been using one of the ship's bar to whip up some authentic Luna Lobo refreshments. Matt looked at the glass in front of him, a black liquid in it before he took another gulp and shuddered. "Oh, that's good brain cell killer," he said dizzily.

"We don't...break this out on just any occasion," said Scout a bit loosely, "Usually before a big...big hunt or fight. Gets our blood going."

He turned before going wide eyed to see Matt apparently talking to an empty chair. "What's that, Mr. Flibble? Blow up Chris?" he was saying.

"Ok, Matt, you've had too much to drink," said Scout, trying to grab Matt's shoulder which somehow kept dodging him.

"Nonsense...I haven't even gotten to the army boots and penguin puppet stage yet," said Matt before the far door opened and Kala staggered in, looking even drunker. "Kala, pull up a stool and have some...some...what's this stuff called again?" asked Matt. Kala paused before staggering in their direction. "Kala, you've been nipping at the kr'ta, haven't you? Naughty girl," said Matt with a giggle. Kala's response was to growl weakly at that, scratching at her head with both hands.

"You ok?" asked Scout. Kala's response was to stop scratching and start snarling at that before slowly lifting her head to look at them. Matt and Scout weren't drunk enough to not notice the look of savage hostility in Kala's eyes.

"Uh, Kala, something wrong?" asked Matt. Kala's response was to slash him across the chest before she turned to snarl in a different, more interested tone at Scout.

"Uh, Matt, now would be a good time to change and draw her attention," said Scout. Matt however was slumped behind the bar, his feet in view, Kala turning to look at him before snarling hungrily and stalking towards him

Scout quickly tackled Kala before she could get close. The two of them went rolling, snarling and snapping at each other like real wolves. Matt groaned at that, coming too as he pulled himself upright to see the fight and his alcohol-addled brain getting the wrong idea, his mood-related roulette landing this time on rage, which in turn triggered his nanites, a Loboan Matt lunging at the two.

By good fortune, Kala was on top at the moment so Matt knocked her off, resulting in the two of them fighting as animals. Matt snarled. "And to think I was about to come to forgive you next!" he snapped before he headbutted Kala. Kala just snarled before she snapped her jaws around Matt's neck.

Matt yelled in pain before Scout grabbed her in a headlock from behind and tried to drag her free. Kala was not so easy to budge. She continued to gnaw at Matt's throat, trying to either cut off his air supply or tear open his jugular. Matt settled for punching her as hard as he could till she came loose.

Even so, Kala was not settled down, not by a long shot. Scout could barely keep her from leaping back at Matt. "What is the matter of you?" wheezed Matt when he got his voice back, but nothing came out of Kala's mouth except angry barking and frothing spit.

"She's…she's feral…I don't understand," said Scout, barely holding onto her before going 'oof' as Kala elbowed himand bounded for the door, howling before fleeing.

"Gotta...stop her..." wheezed Matt.

"You're not going after her until your neck is looked at," said Scout.

Matt pulled his way to an intercom and rasped, "Security...stop Kala...don't let her get to an escape pod...tranq...on sight." before falling on his face and groaning, "Ow."

Scout picked up Matt and said, "C'mon, we need to get you to the medbay."

The two staggered out to see, to their shock, Kala out cold and Chloe holding a tazer stick. "Don't worry, I got her," she said.

"Good...take her to medbay," rasped Matt.

Aria voiced up at that, "Belay that, take her to containment. In her current mind, if she got loose she could maul and infect half the medical staff."

"Putting a wild wolf in a cage is not gonna make her calm down," said Chloe.

"But it will prevent an outbreak of these nanites," snapped Aria.

"Your biome might be a better place," said Scout.

Aria nodded, "I'll tell the staff to evacuate it,"

"And Matt needs to see a doctor," said Scout.

"It's mostly a flesh wound. Some medi-nanites will patch that up in a jiffy," said Aria.

...

Meanwhile, a small ship was headed for the Novus Star. On board, the Archon looked at the bio-canister ready to go. "We are inside their sensor shadow, they cannot detect us," said the computer calmly.

"Good," said the Archon, "We must be swift while the window of opportunity is open."

"I am tracking the infected. They are approaching the ship's biome, but there is heavy security...unable to predict window of opportunity," said the computer.

"Hmm...I suppose we'll have to make our own windows," said the Archon.

"Not recommended at this moment," said the computer calmly.

"Then we wait for exactly the right moment," said the Archon.

"By your command." said the computer.

...

The command center had a small talk going on, the subject: Kala. "I don't believe for a second this happened natural," snapped Matt, still in Loboan form.

"Well, her resentment over the situation and her blaming Matt could have built up to a head," said Chip.

"Yeah, except Kala isn't the type to get completely bent out of shape over something," said Contrinus.

Chris nodded, "Yeah, she's way too levelheaded to lose it. I've got teams checking the footage from her quarters. Maybe we'll get lucky."

"Good, when I find out who pushed her over the edge," growled Matt, leaving deep claw marks on the table.

Scout said, "Easy, if you get too angry we'll have two in the biosphere."

Matt took several deep breaths to calm himself. "Ok, so what do we do now?" asked Matt, "Megan, you got some sort of wake-up spell or something to snap Kala out of it?"

"Uh, not really," said Kala, "Kala's not a true werewolf so there isn't much of an angle I can work on."

Matt turned to NegaMorph and said, "You, you got a psychic link or something with her. Can you get to her?"

"Even if I knew how it worked, I think it requires an intense emotional state or something," said NegaMorph, "And I don't think anyone here's a powerful enough psychic to drill through her feral mindset."

"Find a way, NegaMorph or I swear..." snapped Matt angrily.

"Actually, I can think of something that _might _work," said Scout.

"What? Out with it!" demanded Matt.

"It's an ancient rite we practice on Luna Lobo. Once every four generations, the young Loboans are not permitted to choose a mate among each other. Instead, they must go out into the wilds and catch a feral to be their mate. A feral Loboan is more dangerous than a civilized one, but they can be tamed by one who's proven themselves more dominate."

"That...sounds horrible," said Chris, sounding a little shocked at the idea.

"It is our way," said Scout, sounding a little offended.

"Every alien species has their own culture," pointed out Rook, "I myself try to keep some of the traditions of Revonnah, though not to as extreme an attempt as some may try."

"Fine...so how will this help Kala?" said Matt darkly.

"If Matt were to do the Mate Hunt and be able to overpower and dominate Kala, it might make her easier to bring out of her feral state," said Scout.

"And what would happen if he fail?" asked Draco.

"She'll eat him," said Scout.

"Eat me?" said Matt, all anger replaced with some nervousness.

"I thought Loboans were the apex predators on Luna Lobo," said Rook.

"We are," said Scout, "But the only thing that's higher up the food chain than a Loboan is a more feral Loboan."

"Oh...bollocks," said Matt weakly before NegaMorph, unable to resist said "Oh well, just hope they're wrong when they say some relationships are dog eat dog."

Matt snarled and chomped NegaMorph's head. "Matt, you're supposed to stop biting people!" snapped Chloe.

"That mirror thing couldn't make an Anur reflection for me, so I don't think I'll be getting his lycanthropy," said NegaMorph through one of his other mouths.

"Look on the bright side. Not even Chloe can get angry at you for this," said Techo cheerfully.

"Don't expect me to save your hide if you screw up," said Chloe indifferently.

Chris was shocked at that, "You're usually all over Matt if he even looks at Kala suggestively...and now you don't care?"

"He has to fix his own messes," said Chloe, "I can't be bailing him out every time he gets in over his head."

Matt whined gloomily at that before saying, "Ok, is there any preparation I need to do?"

"Quite a bit, actually," said Scout, "But I think we can skip the fasting and meditations."

"Ok, anything for Kala," said Matt glumly, surprising the others .

"Then we better get you ready," said Scout.

"Right, this _never_ leaves this ship!" snapped Matt.

"Never," said Techo innocently .

"Wouldn't dream of it," said NegaMorph. Naturally, Matt gave him his sternest glare. "Really, I'm being ho-" began NegaMorph before a sonic howl blasted him .

Matt turned back to Scout and said, "Ok, let's get this mumbo jumbo shaman thing over with."

...

The blastdoor leading into the biosphere deck sat in front of Matt. "So, I get no help...against Kala who will be trying to tear me apart and eat the remnants, right?" said Matt calmly .

"No help, no weapons, no tools," said Scout, "You have to do it with your bare hands."

"Can't I at least have some armor? Or proper clothes for that matter?" asked Matt, who was only wearing some tribal paint and a loincloth.

"Most Loboans would only be wearing the paint," said Scout, "And I wouldn't be surprised if Kala was wearing less."

"I wanna wear pants at least," said Matt stubbornly .

"Pants will only get in the way of your tracking," said Scout.

"I'll take the chance," said Matt darkly, typing the orders to his nanolathe on his wristcomp.

"Fine, but when you get them caught in some bush, don't say I didn't warn you," said Scout.

"I won't, I'll be busy screaming, some of the bushes in there are carnivorous," said Matt, nodding to the guard who typed in the door override .

"Never forget: Kala is a wild animal in mind now. She will not recognize you until you dominate her," said Scout.

"Sure, 50 thousand volts ought to do it," said Matt calmly, catching a tossed tesla rifle as the door shut.

Scout sighed and said, "Luck is not gonna be with him."

"That's why he has weapons," said the guard nonchalantly.

...

Matt looked around before aiming his tesla rifle around, trying to think of a way to attract Kala. "Hmm...might work," he said before howling loudly and cupping his ear. In the far distance, an answering howl was heard. "Bingo," said Matt calmly, heading into the undergrowth.

line break

Mina meanwhile was having a far better time, if only cause she had company her own anthro species. One of the survivors from the hanger team, called Lita. The two were stuck changing a booster on a Sabre. "Hear your godfather's gone into the biosphere," said Lita cheerfully, her anthro form that of another shadow dragoness .

"Oh, what for?" asked Mina.

"Subdue Kala apparently, something Scout said would work," said Lita before saying, "There's a pool going on, on if he'll be eaten or not."

"Eaten?!" squeaked Mina.

"According to Scout, that might happen," said Lita .

"But he's got backup, right?" asked Mina nervously.

"Nope, he's got a tesla rifle," said Lita calmly, finishing up before saying, "Gotta say, the strength's useful."

Mina didn't respond. Her mind was locked on the image of Matt walking through dark woods completely unprotected except for a gun which actually more like a hunting rifle than a tesla rifle. Lita flicked the side of her head at that "No more Jurassic Park for you," she scolded, getting an idea of what was being imagined .

Mina blinked before saying, "You sure we can't got and help him?'

"There's only one door in and out. Unless we're going through the vents and the spiderdrones live there," said Lita . Mina thought about it before Lita said, "Don't even start thinking about it. The spiderbots have left you alone so far because you're new."

"I'm not letting my godfather be eaten," snapped Mina stubbornly .

"Matt can take care of himself," said Lita.

"In what's basically the wild with what's basically a werewolf and only one weapon on him?" said Mina doubtfully.

Lita thought about it, "You're right. He's toast."

"We have to help him," said Mina.

"How? By also getting eaten? I don't wanna find out these scales aren't bite proof," said Lita .

"Hello, we're dragons. We have powers," said Mina.

"Yeah, on a ship full of breakable things and flammable stuff?" said Lita calmly .

"We're only going to the biome," said Mina.

"That's the flammable stuff," said Lita pointedly before sighing, "But if you insist, there should be an opening in sector 12."

"Thanks, Lita," said Mina.

...

"Archon, a gap in their security has been detected. Both primary infected are inside the ship's biosphere," said the computer calmly .

"Excellent, deploy the beasts," instructed the Archon.

"Yes, Archon...subjects D-15 and 24 prepared...firing pods," said the computer, two pods shooting at the distant Novus Star. "Recommend withdrawal...Galvan flight control will have detected the launches."

"Deploy the other three," said the Archon.

"Launching," said the computer, three more pods shooting out .

...

Matt peered through the bushes, feeling a little nervous, his worry having shifted him back. Matt had considered this a bonus, using it as an excuse to armor up for the time being. "Here, Kala, Kala, Kala," he called quietly . He was partly relieved to not receive a reply.

"Ok...so she's not aro-EAT LIGHTNING!" he said, screaming the last part and firing as a branch was heard snapping.

It turns out that Kala hadn't replied because she was too far away. Quite the contrary, she was watching Matt from up a tree. She was mainly curious about the strange, jumpy, lightning-spitting weirdo that was in, to her mind, her territory. Not to mention a part of her worried if this one was carrying some sort of madness disease that she could get from eating him.

That said, some things had to be done, so she tossed another stone down and watched as the weirdo vaporized another bush. There was nothing wrong with a little amusement. She wondered how many more times it'll shoot lightning until it ran out. She yelped before ducking as another random blast made her tree several inches shorter before giving a whine of relief as the blasts stopped.

She decided to find something that'll be less hazardous to her health, physical and mental, to hunt. She was about to turn to leave when the weirdo yelled "KALA! GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW AND BE TAZERED!"

The name seemed vaguely familiar to the feral Loboan, but she wasn't about to risk getting her hide being blown off just yet. A second later, a metal stick bounced off her head, knocking her out the tree.

...

"Useless tesla rifles, they hardly last any time at all," muttered Matt, not hearing the yelps and crash in the distance.

He was starting to regret not taking that flash-training course about wilderness survival. 'When am I ever gonna need it?' he said at the time. "If I get out of this, I actually do the flash training," muttered Matt, looking around before yelling "FREE DOG FOOD!"

When no reply came, unknowingly because Kala was semi-conscious, Matt said, "Ok, time for plan B: build a basic trap."

...

Said trap for once wasn't a pitfall, though Matt had tried that, only to find out there was only 5 feet down to the deck below. To that end he'd nicked some cables to try a snare instead. "Ok, this ought to be so simple, only a stupid monkey can screw this up," said Matt to himself as he tied the small tree down. This was news to Kala, who was watching with animalistic politeness from a vantage point above Matt.

"Ok, I just need a little bait now," muttered Matt, "Then when Kala grabs it..." He paused when he realized he wasn't sure how to set the trap to spring when Kala grabbed the bait. "Hmm...should test this," he muttered, stepping back before throwing a stick at the loop, to no reaction. "Oh...musta got it wrong," he said, walking over and kicking it, only to be slapped in the face and knocked flying as the tree sprang up.

"Ow...that hurt," winced Matt as he covered his smarting face. After a minute, he uncovered his face to see Kala snarling an inch from his nose. "Hmm," he said, covering his face again before uncovering it again. "Was afraid of that...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" he said, screaming the last part .

He ran for it, only to trip and fall into that small pit that he had dug earlier. Kala stared down at him with a bemused look. "Hey, Lassie, go for help," said Matt in a dazed tone. Kala shrugged before turning and kicking some dirt on Matt's head before walking off.

...

"Look on the bright side, scout. He hasn't been eaten yet. Put you down for 30 creds on Kala?" said NegaMorph cheerfully, the security room having turned into an impromptu entertainment room .

"I have confidence in Matt yet," said Scout, "I am sure that he'll survive the night."

"Yeah, but are you confident about him trapping Kala?" asked NegaMorph.

"Not like that, he won't," said Scout, "Matt couldn't even set them up, let alone trap Kala with them."

"Ok...30 creds on Matt it is then," said NegaMorph, signing a book. It was a shame everyone was watching, otherwise they might have spotted Mina and Lita in a vent.

...

"Urgh...how much further?" moaned Lita, the group turning a corner in the vets .

"I thought you knew," said Mina.

"I thought you were leading?" said Lita weakly, the two looking at each other before they started panicking.

Little did they know that a dark presence was observing them. Something that although it may appear innocuous had the heart of a cold-blooded killer, not that it had an actual heart. Its fingers drummed with anticipation, ready to pounce and show all why it was such a big mistake for Megan to try and clone Matt's hand in the first place. But that's not important right now.

For the moment it wasn't too dangerous, content with just redirecting the vents every so often. Soon it would be finished toying with its prey and then...it would be pounced on by several spiderbots.

"Ok, calm down, there's a way out of here if we just think logistically," said Lita.

"What the heck does that mean?!" snapped Mina.

"It means that if we keep making left turns, we'll eventually find our way to someplace familiar,' said Lita.

Mina looked around before spotting a light down the tunnel she was sure hadn't been there before. "Or we could check that vent," she said calmly .

"We can try that," said Lita.

The two headed to the vent covering before sighing with relief, a field outside it, a confused rak'to hawk peering inside. "Aw, what a cute birdie," said Mina.

"Careful, they can easily peck your finger off," said Lita.

"Oh please, they can't be that ba-" began Mina before the bird chomped over her head and had a content look on its beak. Mina said in a muffled voice, "Point taken."

"You can still turn back and avoid getting into a heap of trouble," said Lita.

"No...get off!" snapped Mina, pulling the bird off which flew back a few feet and smirked, displaying its dentistry and saying in an imitation of Mina's voice "Get off, get off."

"Oh, didn't think they were that smart," said Mina.

"It doesn't take much brain to talk. Take Morph for example," said Lita.

"Good point," said Mina, the two walking out and walking along, the rak'to tilting its head before spreading its leathery wings and following . "So, you've gotten an ion staff, right?" asked Mina.

"No, I was an engineer, that stupid gas did this to me," said Lita, annoyed as they walked into the trees, before they both glared as the rak'to said from the tree tops, 'stupid gas.'

"But you do have some kind of weapon, right?" asked Mina.

"I got a tazer stick," said Lita calmly, adding, "Perfect for frying annoying rak'to hawks." before twitching as the hawk gave a rather creepy imitation of a roomful of laughter .

"And that would be useful for stopping a Loboan, right?" asked Mina.

"Well, if you managed to get it pointed at them before they knock you over. Unless they knock you out with their howl first," said Lita.

"So...we're basically just two extra meals for Kala?" said Mina in an annoyed tone.

"Don't worry, we have dragons powers," said Lita in a sarcastic tone.

"We're dead," said Mina, the hawk above them tweeting the funeral dirge for emphasis .

...

Meanwhile, in the only room nobody dared enter, Morph was looking for his piggy bank so he could join in NegaMorph's game .

"Oh where, oh where did my piggy bank go?" asked Morph as he looked around his room, "I know it's in here somewhere." After looking through his drawers, Morph wondered, "I wonder if it's under the bed." He looked under the bed with a flashlight. His flashlight passed over odd things, including what looked like a gorilla with slimy green skin, four tentacles where its arms should be, bulbous eyes on eyestalks, and a mouth full of sharp teeth. Then Morph reached under and grabbed his piggy bank. "There you are, you naughty little thing," he said.

Morph paused before peering back in. "Hey...you're not the usual monster," he said cheerfully, the monster looking a bit confused. Usually anything that saw it would be scared stiff...then it sensed the void in this creature's head before the words 'not the usual monster' filtered in and it slowly turned to see an amorphous blob growling at it.

"That's more like it," said Morph.

...

Matt, meanwhile, was back on Kala's trail. He was, by now, determined to do this in human form, seeing it, in his mad way, as a challenge. "I'll show them, I'll show them all," he chortled madly, "I don't need to do this silly Loboan hunting rite to bag Kala."

A snap beside him at that caused his already fragile mindset to lose it (again) and he vaporized half the treeline with another clip, leaving two terrified-looking anthro dragonesses in scorched engineer jumpsuits hugging each other, and for some reason, a rak'to hawk perched on one of their horns .

Matt blinked before saying, "Hey, I booked this place for the night. Get your own forest!"

"Please put the gun down," whimpered the smaller one, her voice snapping Matt out of it.

"Mina, what are you doing here?" snapped Matt, "You're supposed to be in engineering."

"We came to help you and YOU SHOT AT US!" snapped Mina, losing it .

"I'm supposed to do this alone," said Matt.

"Aren't you also supposed to do this without weapons or armor?" pointed out the other dragoness.

"SILENCE!" snapped Matt, noting the trio, hawk included, looked worried. "Hah...see? I am the commander here, I am the boss, I am the alpha dog, and she's right behind me, isn't she?" snapped Matt, saying the last part dully as a growl came from behind him .

"We can take her," said Mina.

"No, I'm doing this solo," said Matt before Kala chomped most of his head and started shaking him around. The girls winced at that before Matt was thrown into a tree.

Kala then turned and growled at the girls. "Uh, we can definitely take her, right?" asked Mina.

The girls growled in return before a sonic burst sent them flying . "Yeah, we can take her," said Lita dizzily.

...

Matt came too with a groan, looking around dizzily . It soon became clear that he had lost Kala yet again. And yet, he was puzzled as to why she didn't eat him while she had the chance.

He was about to head out when something chomped his ear. After some flailing, he finally had his hand around the neck of the rak'to hawk from earlier. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't make you bait or dinner," growled Matt.

The hawk tilted its head before saying in a gravelly version Kala's voice, "Two reptiles...prey for later."

"What?" snapped Matt before getting up and looking around for Mina and Lita.

The hawk continued, "Must take to den...hungry. Food or packmate."

Matt was a bit surprised that Kala was able to talk in her feral state, but he was more focused on what she said. "Ok, time to stop fooling around," he said to himself, "Clearly I don't have the training to capture Kala by myself. So I'm gonna have to rely on my instincts." With that, he tried to focus on the wolf inside him and bring it out.

If there was a sound effect for the following scene, it would have been a raspberry as nothing happened. "Goddammit!" snapped Matt.

The hawk squawked and said, "Loser."

Matt paused at that. "I beg your pardon? Wait, I'm talking to a predatory parrot," he said annoyed before looking down to see drag marks, following them .

The hawk flew after Matt and squawked, "Loser."

...

Meanwhile, there was other creatures loose in the forest. "The gro'lak's gone. Last I heard from it, it was under a bed," said a creature that actually _was_ a werewolf, one of the archons many acquisitions over the millennia.

"The Krylock disappeared too," said a shadowy shape, "Those things could never stay in one place for long."

"I saw some rak'tos...don't they eat Krylocks?" said a third one, looking a little undead.

...

Matt glared stomping along. For a few minutes he thought he'd lost the rak'to, before it had flown back, looking plump and burping contently. "Don't you have somebody else to annoy?" snapped Matt.

"Annoy, annoy, annoy...loser," said the rak'to happily before burping a green cloud out .

"Will you stop calling me-" snapped Matt before staggering as the scent of the rak'to's burp hit him. "Oh...dude...smells like a Krylock..." he moaned, covering his nose and mouth as the rak'to tweeted happily .

Matt's head start to swim a bit, making him wonder if rak'tos were venomous, which wouldn't surprise him in the least. The rak'to's voice seemed to echo into his addled brain, going "Loser" over and over and over, causing his eyes to cross as he staggered onwards .

"Will...you...shut...UUUUUP!?" snapped Matt, the last word coming out as a sonic howl which blew the dragon hawk away.

The hawk happily chirped, "We have a winner. Let's see if he beats it all on the bonus round." as Matt transformed, howling angrily and charging off in the direction of Kala .

...

The spectators in the security room were getting excited now that the hunt was finally starting to get interesting.

"Erm, shouldn't we do something?" asked Megan carefully

"This is supposed to be Matt's trial," said Scout.

"But Lumina and Lita are in there," said Megan.

"They weren't supposed to be," said Scout, "But at least they've given Matt a reason to stop wasting time and start doing this right."

"If Mina gets eaten, Matt's gonna kill you, ok?" said Chris calmly .

"Ms. Lumina is hardly in real danger," said Aria, "If need be, I can flood the biome with sleeping gas so they can be extracted."

"Good. Oh well, let's watch...the hell is that?" said Techo, sitting up as another cam switched to a quartet of creatures .

"Hmm...unknown, I do not have them listed in the biome records," said Aria.

"How could that be possible?" demanded Chris.

"Well, Mina was able to stowaway. Maybe Aria's not as observant as she thinks she is," said Megan.  
>Aria's hologram glared at that, "Really? You volunteered to sleep in arctic temperatures?"<p>

"Say what?" asked Megan.

Aria smirked as she said, "Either way, I can safely say that for now, this fun is over. I'm opening the sphere and sending in an assault team." Just then, several error messages flashed on the computer screens. "Hmm, it appears we have a bug in the system," said Aria, "A bug that doesn't want us to open the biome."

The picture immediately changed to that of the Archon, causing some comment. "I know this is inconvenient, but I will not let a nanoplague be my legacy. Cease interference and simply wait," he said .

"Nano-what?" asked Megan.

"He means a virus. He's treating the cap and Kala like plague carriers," said Techo angrily as the message repeated on a loop .

"But Azmuth has something to neutralize that," said Chris.

"You think that guy knows or cares?" asked Chloe darkly.

"No. Get Ben, we'll never get through the door in time. He might," said Techo .

"Ben's stuck in wolf mode, remember?" pointed out Megan.

"Skurd," said Chris calmly ,

"And need I remind you, Ms. Roph, that you and your 'uncle' have other means of entrance," said Aria.

NegaMorph spoke up at that, "Matt said he'd vaporize me if I messed about like that."

"Matt isn't capable of vaporizing you right now," pointed out Techo.

"Point taken. Come on, Megan. Let's go earn a pay rise," said NegaMorph cheerfully, Megan saying "You get paid?"

"Hey, I don't make all my money at the betting table. Which reminds me..." He turned to the others before yelling, "Bets are cancelled and no refunds!" vanishing into the floor just before the first blunt object was thrown .

...

Kala's trail was a lot easier to follow as a Loboan, her scent being quite prominent to Matt's nose. "Ok...she's around here somewhere," he muttered, headed through the undergrowth, towards a patch of trees .

He was almost there when he picked up another scent. After sniffing a bit more, he realized it was another wolf-like scent, but definitely not his or Kala's. He softly growled as his instincts told him, 'Rival, intruding on territory, trying to steal mate'.

Luckily, there was yet to be the instincts compatible with what was left of Matt's sanity. Sadly, Matt took a 'don't bother with questions or rules' approach to intruders so the result was the same anyway . Matt snarled and headed in the direction this new scent was leading. Fortunately or unfortunately, it was also heading in the same direction as Kala's scent.

...

Meanwhile, the werewolf was making his way towards where Kala was, but not for the reasons the Archon would have wanted. "Stupid...thing. Why have I gotta do what he wants? Like I'd kill a girl," he muttered. But he had other interests in pursuing the female, interests of a much baser nature. He wasn't the type of werewolf to be picky about breeding. This female was true werewolf, but it was close enough for him.

"Who knows? Maybe I can convince the Archon to let me keep her?" he said happily before pausing, looking up to see a reptilian bird whistling the funeral dirge. The werewolf gave in an annoyed look before heading forward. The female's den was close, her scent too strong to be anything else. A flutter of wings was heard before the bird began humming the Jaws theme tune this time.

The werewolf tossed a rock at the bird before it moved into the small clearing. The female had claimed a small cave for her own and the smell inside indicated that she was getting ready for dinner. It was clear she wasn't expecting dinner guests because she quickly came out of her den and growled at the intruder. The werewolf grinned, well, wolfishly before making a chuffing sound. The female paused and cocked her head with interest.

A second later, a depleted tesla rifle flew out the bushes and clonked the werewolf across the back of the head, "Bleagh," he managed, falling forward .

Matt quickly exited the bushes and approached his rival with a snarl. "Mine," he growled before administering a swift kick that would make sure that the werewolf wouldn't be making any moves on she-wolves any time soon. Then Matt turned to Kala and said, "Ok, let's get this nonsense over with. Kala, you're coming with me."  
>The sonic blast that came back deposited Matt in a tree top several feet away, next to the hawk which made a sniggering noise. "Weak wolf," growled Kala.<p>

Matt shook his head before snapping, "Ok, you want me to show I'm not weak? Fine. Prepare to be dominated!" With that, he took a flying leap out of the tree and right on top of Kala. The she-wolf started snapping and scratching at Matt as he was focused on wrestling her to the ground.

...

Mina and Lita meanwhile were having a glaring contest. It seemed a Loboan's first instinct on restraining people was to gag them. However the unsaid argument was this from both sides; 'it's your fault we're in this mess...no it's not...yes, it is...'

The argument ended when Matt shot past them with a howl and embedded in the wall. "Ok...1st point to you," he rasped . He pulled himself out of the wall before turning to the two captives. "I'll be with you in a minute. First I need to dominate my wild girlfriend," he said before going back out of the cave.  
>Lita and Mina glared before a shadowy creature flowed in. The creature looked between the two of them before focusing on Lita. It collected its shadowy mass together before shifting into quite a different creature. It basically looked like a large red-brown hairy spider, except it had five legs that ended with particularly stubby feet. The creature growled as it advanced towards Lita, revealing a large mouth filled with several rows of sharp teeth.<p>

Lita settled for screaming under her gag as the monster crept closer . The monster got closer, opening its mouth wider to reveal more fangs. But it didn't seem in that much of a rush to bite her. Rather, it seemed content in breathing in Lita's muffled screams.  
>Mina struggled finally managing to chew her gag off before sending a fireball at the monster who shrieked and scuttled away . "Lita, are you alright?" asked Mina. Lita didn't respond, she just sat there staring at where the spider was numbly. But Mina noticed her chest rising and falling so she knew Lita was still alive. "Hang on, I'll have us out of here as soon as I get through these vine things," said Mina.<br>The shadow reappeared at that, spinning in place before slowing down to be Ghoulwyrm. "Miiiinaaaa…" he said icily .

Mina froze in shock. "No...it can't be you. You're a fake," she said desperately.

"I'm quite real, my little dark creature," sneered 'Ghoulwyrm' .

"Keep away from me. I'm a lot stronger than last time," said Mina unconvincingly.

"You can't fight destiny," sneered 'Ghoulwyrm'.

Mina felt a cold shudder go through her and she looked at her hands, going pale when they appeared as bare bones to her. "Urr…urr…urrrr…" she began as she hyperventilated, seeing her face to see a skeletal skull with a blue glow behind it. It was at that point she started to scream.

...

Meanwhile, Matt had managed to wrestle Kala down and pinned her to the ground. "Alright Kala, I think I've proved my dominance by now," said Matt, "Now start acting like yourself or-" The two of them froze when they heard the sound of someone screaming. "Mina, oh man," said Matt before smacking Kala over the head with enough force to temporarily stun her. "Wait here," he said before heading back into the cave.

He skidded to a halt to see Mina, apparently held by her cheeks by a creature that was inhaling a blue energy from her, her face visibly aging as it did. Only one creature he knew did that...a kryteer. "Oi, asshole!" he called, tossing a rock at it, causing it to pause and turn to look . "You want a real meal, come and get me!" shouted Matt.

The creature growled before letting go of Mina and going after Matt. He quickly backed out of the cave and tried desperately to think of what the kryteer would most likely turn into to scare him and how to counter it. He didn't get very far out when Kala, who had recovered rather quickly, tackled him and snarled in his face. "Dammit, Kala, this is not the time!" snapped Matt before the kryteer came out. Kala turned and roared at the kryteer. It took one look at her before morphing into a Tyrannopede. Kala whimpered like a scared dog and backed away from the monster with her tail between her legs.

"Hey! It's me you want, tiny!" snapped Matt, the kryteer turning to look at him before changing...into Kala as a human. Matt lifted an eyebrow and asked, "Are you supposed to a future henpecking version of Kala? Because you're not that scary."

'Kala' just sneered. "Whatever did I see in a freak like you?" she said loftily . Matt winced and let out an involuntary canine whine as if 'Kala' had just hit him. "How you managed to stay alive when all you do is hurt everyone is beyond me." sneered the fake Kala nastily

Matt closed his eyes and covered his ears. "That's not Kala," he thought to himself, "That's an evil boggart that's playing mind games with you. Just ignore what it says and what it looks like and power on through."

The fake Kala smirked and walked up, whispering in his ear, "You don't even know that you're more alone then you even think...no girlfriend...no home...no sister..."

Matt let out a feral roar before snapping his teeth around the fake Kala's neck. He wasn't even putting any intelligent thought into it right now. He just let his inner beast take the wheel and deal with the threat. After a minute, he came to his senses to see the fake Kala, lying dead with a torn up throat.

Matt gave a sigh of relief and said, "Ok, it's over now." He turned to look for the real Kala, but didn't see any signs of her. He headed into the cave to see if she was in there, but stopped short when he saw what looked like Mina's body with her throat also torn out.  
>Matt stared as his imagination went to work before coming to the completely wrong conclusion before the 'Mina' said "Why'd you kill me?" That was the final straw, Matt screaming feral.<p>

Meanwhile, the real Kala had snuck out of her hiding places in the bushes to see if the Tyrannopede had gone. What she saw was a shadowy shape vaguely like the Tyrannopede looming over Matt who screaming in a most feral manner. Several basic thoughts went through her head: 'I don't like this thing', 'Nobody should have to suffer that', 'He managed to best me, he's the alpha', and just one small underlining thought from deep within 'That's my mate'. The sum of that giving her enough reason to snarl before leaping onto the shape's back and latching on with her claws and teeth.

The kryteer paused in its feasting to try and shake off Kala. It probably wouldn't have been too difficult if the other werewolf hadn't woken up and also jumped onto the kryteer to claw and bite it.

The kryteer howled before saying in a growling voice "You fool...what are you doing?" to the werewolf .

"I never liked you and I can't let a lady fight you all by herself," said the werewolf before biting in deeper.

"Then die..." said the kryteer simply, changing its skin to silver.

The werewolf screamed in pain before dropping off of the kryteer. Without him on its back, the kryteer was easily able to shake off Kala. He turned around, morphing into a silver Tyrannopede as it did so. It opened its mouth to devour them when a magnified voice suddenly said, "Attention big metal monster guy." The kryteer turned just in time to see Blitzwolfer with an Echo Echo megaphone before he blasted out a super-magnified sonic howl at it.  
>The kryteer had just long enough to say "What in the-" before the sound blast all but vaporized it . There was a bit of collateral damage in that the woodlands behind the kryteer got cleared out for a distance. But fortunately, nobody else was really hurt, excepting the intense ringing in the lupines' ears.<p>

After a minute Kala yelled "BEN, WHY'D YOU DO THAT?"

"Hey, you got your mind back. That's great," said Blitzwolfer.

"All the better to beat you senseless with!" snapped Kala before lunging at Blitzwolfer .

Matt staggered out of the entrance of the cave, his head swimming from the scare he had gotten and the sound blast that rattled his ears. As such, he wasn't operating on a very evolved level of thinking so when he saw Kala trying to throttle Blitzwolfer only one thing went through his head. "Mine!" he snarled before he leaped forward and knocked Kala off of Blitzwolfer.

...

"Ok...Matt...have you something to say to Ben?" said Scout, looking at the both badly bruised Loboans, Kala trying desperately not to laugh .

"Sorry I thought you were trying to steal my mate," grumbled Matt.

"And Ben?" said Scout.

Blitzwolfer muttered, "Sorry I sound blasted you into the bedrock after you jumped me."

"Did you guys really have to belt out so many howls?" asked NegaMorph, rubbing his forehead.

"You barely got blasted," said Kai dismissively.

"Oh no?" said Megan dryly.

...

10 minutes earlier...

"Ok, Kala'll be pretty hard to grab so be sure to shove shadow ropes on her the minute we appear," said NegaMorph, he and Megan in the shadow world. .

"I thought we were looking for those other monsters," said Megan.

"Trust me, Kala will be the most difficult one," said NegaMorph.

"Ok...1...2...3!" said Megan, the two emerging to see two Loboans beating the crap out of one another...and Kala on the sidelines facepawing and muttering about boys and idiots.

"Ok, slight change of plans, we just tie up Matt instead," said NegaMorph.

Kala looked over at that. "You're not tying up my mat...up Matt!" she said, stopping as she realized what she was gonna say.

"I don't know, he's looking pretty feral right now," said NegaMorph, "We better do it for everyone's sake."

Kala shrugged before yelling, "Matt...are you feral?"

"Oh, like he's gonna answer that. Come on, Megan, let's just tie him-" started NegaMorph before the struggling Loboans paused to sonic blast the two of them.

...

"I still can't hear right out my second ear." snapped NegaMorph, before 4 sonic blasts hit him.

"But what about this guy?" asked Chris, holding up the werewolf.

"Well, he didn't try to kill me and indirectly saved me, so I guess he's not a bad guy. But he still tried to sneak Kala from me so I don't like him a whole lot," said Matt, "Chris, what would you say would be the most pointless and degrading position on this ship?"

"Being your personal aide?" guessed Chris.

"Wrong, being _your_ personal aide," said Matt.

The two of them said "What?"

The werewolf turned to look at Chris. "I'm not working for some beta," he said loftily .

"Beta?" growled Chris.

"Yes," said the werewolf before yelping as he felt the ground lift away, before turning to be snout to snout with Chris .

"Say that again, shrimp," snarled Chris.

"Erm...when do you have dinner, sir?" said the werewolf desperately .

"Much better," said Chris, "It'll be 7:00 on the dot and I expect my beef to be properly prepared."  
>Aria spoke up at that. "Sir, is it really wise to let a second werewolf loose on the ship?" she said .<p>

"Eh, Chris could use the company," said Matt.

"But suppose this prompts Chris to start building a larger pack," said Aria.

"So long as he doesn't try to add Chloe to that pack or challenge me for leadership, I don't care," said Matt.

"As you wish, sir," said Aria with a sigh .

"What about the other monsters in the biome?" asked Kai.

"Eh, they're probably hopelessly lost and we can deal with them whenever we want," said Matt, "Aria, how are Mina and Lita?"

"Ensigns Lumina and Lita are still in a catatonic state," said Aria, "Victims of kryteer feeding could remain in that state for a considerable time. However, the hypersleep chamber ought to accelerate the recover process."

"So do it, Mina's my responsibility," said Matt.

"Very well, they ought to be recovered by the time we return to Earth," said Aria.

"Speaking of which, has Azmuth gotten that sterilizer thing ready yet?" asked Matt.

"Oh, for quite some time," said Aria, "You've simply been too busy with Ms. Triseptus to get the treatment."

Matt snapped at that and tried to tackle the holographic Aria.

...

"Information indicated operatives 4 and 2 have infiltrated the crew...subjects 5 and 3 have been eliminated...subject 1 is non responsive but active," said the Archon's computer .

"And what are the conditions of the infested?" asked the Archon.

"The Galvan have neutralized their nanites' infection programming," said the computer.

"Hmm...that's good for now. Unless a blood sample's taken, there should be no problems. Stand by to leave the system, inform 4 and 2 to send regular reports," said the Archon calmly

"And subject 1?" asked the computer.

"Low priority, but when opportunities are convenient, have it eliminated," said the Archon dismissively.

"By your command," said the computer calmly.

* * *

><p>There's another chapter. This one had quite a bit of upheaval, but it all worked out in the end. This is not the only time that the Archon is going to bother the gang in this fic. There's gonna be plenty of other reasons to hate him before the gang have their big confrontation. The next chapter should be up next Friday. Keep an eye out for it and please review.<p> 


	5. Mark of the Beast, pt 3

**Reticence Saga**

**The Aliens Within**

**Chapter 5: Mark of the Beast, pt. 3**

_It was a starry night in a pine forest. The stars shown down enough light for the two she-wolves watch their pups play-fight with each other. The pups soon left off their nipping at each other when a new scent arrived. They all gave excited yips as they raced towards their fathers who were dragging back a big elk. The she-wolves also padded over to greet their mates. The red-furred one licked at the black-furred one's face while the brown one nuzzled the grey one. Just then, the full moon rose up into the sky. All the wolves lifted up their heads and howled at the large white orb. Then the moon spun around revealing a smiling four-eyed face. "Good morning," it said. _

Matt shot upright, sending Morph, who had been on his chest, flying through the door. "The hell was that?" he said, rubbing his head .

"You were oversleeping," said Morph, "Time for breakfast."

"Go away, Morph," said Kala sleepily.

"Oh well, more bacon for me," said Morph cheerfully .

"Beat it!" snapped Matt. Morph shrugged before going out the door.

"He's right. I don't wanna miss bacon," said Kala with a tired yawn .

"Fine," grumbled Matt before standing up and stretching his back. "Ugh, I get a new mattress or..." started Matt before pausing and saying, "Oh, wait, we didn't use the mattress last night."

...

For Ben and Kai, seeing the daily battleground that was breakfast on a ship with the experiments was an...experience. It was the first time, security and riot gear had to be present.

It turns out there was a reason the expression 'wolfing it down' was named that way. Namely because wolves had to eat as fast as they could before some other predator took their food away. Or in this case, if the food fight threatened to engulf their meal.

Chris, leaning back in his chair, said "Get used to it. This happens every Monday. That's the usual time when they crack the coconut cake fridge's entry code."

"What is it about coconut cake that makes them so..." Kai paused as she tried to think of a suitable word to describe the madness.

"I got no idea. It's like booze to them," said Chris .

"I thought that was the coffee," said Blitzwolfer.

"Nope, we don't allow coffee on board anymore," said Chris in a stern voice .

"Sounds like they'd try to smuggle some aboard," said Kai.

"Yep, we have to do a sweep every once in a while, though it's gonna be harder with a bigger ship," said Chris.

"This is a general announcement...command staff to bridge...command staff to bridge," said a voice on the intercom

"Need to be going," said Chris standing up before grabbing a piece of bacon that went flying past his ear.

...

"Ok, what's the big emergency?" said Chris, striding onto the bridge.

"Got a weak signal coming from the black hole in sector 19, looks like a ships emergency beacon," said a crewman.

"I'm guessing it's the more classic black hole, the kind that's not actually a wormhole," said Chris.

"Doesn't matter, if the ship's not got grav repulsers," said the crewman.

"How close are they to the event horizon?" asked Chris.

"Won't know till we get there. Should I set a course?" asked the crewman .

"Yeah, nobody deserves to be ground into micro-particles," said Chris before thinking it over and said, "Ok, not most people, but we can't judge just because they're in a tight spot."

"Aye-aye. Setting course," said the crewman.

...

The black hole was impressive, only visible because of the sun behind it and the disc around it. The victim ship was visible, flowing at the edge of the disc as the Novus Star, protected by its grav repulser shields, closed. "Let's pull it in quick," said Chris, "That ship's sinking in fast."

An energy beam shot out at that, snatching the small ship and pulling it further from the point of no return. A crewman, looking at his scanner, said, "Erm...sir? I'm reading Loboan lifesigns on board."

"Loboans, why are we always running into Loboans?" grumbled Chris. The crewmen gave him an odd look. "I'm not saying I don't like Loboans, but it gets old after a while," said Chris.

"Ig transmission from the ship," said the crewman, putting it on before a cultured voice said, "I don't know who you are but you have my thanks. We've been stuck around the black hole for hours."

"That is unlikely," said Aria, "Considering the model of the ship and the fact that a black hole's immeasurable gravity can distort time itself, it may have been much longer."

"I'm sure it's not been long. May me and my followers land?" said the voice .

"I'll have to check with the captain first," said Chris.

"Please hurry, I think we suffered some damage," said the voice before the line cut off .

"Matt is still having breakfast, right?" asked Chris.

"Yup, he never misses the weekly fight," said a crewman .

"Well, tell him about the situation, quick," said Chris.

...

"A ship full of werewolves?" said Matt, skeptically .

"Werewolf-like aliens," corrected Aria.

"Whatever. We're running out of space," snapped Matt .

"On the contrary, we have more than ample space. More space than we are likely to fill up," said Aria.

"We won't if we take on every hitchhiker between here and Earth," snapped Matt .

"Their ship is in bad disrepair," said Aria, "They will not be able to make it to the nearest system without our help."

"Fine, but I want to be there when this ship docks, with a full security team," said Matt .

"Don't you trust your own kind?" asked Chris jokingly.

Matt glared before slapping the back of Chris's head. "On this ship, with our track record, they're probably a cult," he said .

"What kind of cult would fly a spaceship?" asked Chris.

"Space cults," said Matt stubbornly .

"Well, we can't just kick them out into space," said Chris.

"Fine, but the guards stay," said Matt sulkily .

"I wouldn't have removed them anyways," said Aria, "We are compassionate, not reckless." She paused before examining the two of them and said, "Well, most of us."

Matt growled at that before stomping out. "He's losing it," said Chris darkly .

"His bond with Kala has been keeping him in check," said Aria, "But we need to purge his nanites as soon as possible. Once we've dropped off our passengers, we will devote all time and resources towards reclaiming that mirror."

"Ok, till then, we get those security teams down there," said Chris.

...

The shuttle, more of a small frigate, was gently set down on the hanger deck by the tractor emitters. Matt glared from the deck as the landing bay began to open. His lupine nose immediately picked up the scent of several Loboans, Loboans that smelled like they haven't had a bath for quite some time.

A dozen or so Loboans walked out, wearing what looked like robes, a slightly larger one with German Sheppard coloring also walked out behind them . "It's a cult, I knew it," muttered Matt.

The large one, apparently the leader looked up to see Matt's security forces. "Those are unnecessary, brother," he said calmly .

Matt gave the leader an annoyed look. "I am not your brother," he said.

"All Loboans are my family," said the leader sagely, Matt muttering "Great...if an evil cult wasn't enough, they're hippies too."

"Matt, be nice, they're probably a few years out of it," said Kala.

"This is indeed a wonderful opportunity. The Vladats will be easy to remove from our moon now," said the leader, noticing the various weapons everywhere .

"Sure..." said Matt before muttering, "What's a Vladat?"  
>"The Vladats were a lifeform that ruled over the Anur system for centuries, enslaving the other races with unique parasitical lifeforms. They were slated for extermination as a potential threat by the then-active splitter empire, but the inhabitants got there first. Their old homeworld is a class Z, capable of draining the life from the crew of orbiting ships," said Aria calmly, the leader and his companions staring in shock as Aria materialized in front of them .<p>

"Sounds like a nasty lot," said Matt, "How long ago where they wiped out?"

"About 10 centuries ago," said Aria dismissively, "I'm guessing you're not that interested in the particulars."

"But...when we left the homeworld they had just conquered it..." said the lead Loboan weakly .

"You stuck within the gravitational field of a black hole," said Aria, "Time and space itself are bent by the crushing power of black holes. It is not uncommon for one to exit the gravity field in a different time than they first entered."

Most of the Loboans looked horrified at that, Matt guessing some of them had probably left family behind. "What were you doing in that anyway?" he asked, nodding towards the ship .

"We are monks, sworn to preserve the culture of our race," said the leader, "When the Vladats invaded, we took this ship and fled so that some of our culture is not loss."

Matt was about to wipe some of the grime off before one of the Loboans grabbed his wrist with a snarl. "Please do not touch the ship," said the leader, "Considering how much damage it has taken, we would rather not risk someone accidentally breaking it further."  
>"Damage it by wiping off some dirt? Nobody can manage that," snapped Matt, pointedly ignoring the sniggers his hearing picked up.<p>

"All the same, we're not taking chances considering its delicate state," said the leader.

"It's fine," snapped Matt, hitting the side and being knocked out as a panel above him came loose and clocked him over the head .

"I did warn him," said the head monk, sounding a little bemused.

"So, where can we drop you off?" said Techo.

"If we could return to the Anur system, we would be greatly indebted to you," said the lead monk.

"Our course is currently set on Earth of the Sol system," said Aria, "The Anur system is a considerable distance out of our way so I'm sure you can understand if we don't bring you there immediately."

"Of course. That is...no problem. I have always wanted to see another world," said the leader, one of his followers muttering in his ear before he nodded, "Would it be too much to ask to have your fine blacksmiths repair our ship?"

"Our engineers shall be working on it presently," said Aria.

...

Matt wished that Scout hadn't remained behind, hoping to get a ride home. Otherwise, Matt could have inquired more n this 'cult'. Matt didn't believe that these Loboans were monks for one second. He saw the way some of them were looking at Kala. Ok, maybe they didn't have that particular vow, but they still rubbed Matt the wrong way.

One such problem was already trying...again. A Loboan with a blonde mane and for some reason had 'salvaged' some shades from some place in the ship. That said, Matt didn't mind that much given what usually followed.

"Hey there, foxy mama," said the Loboan, holding Kala in his arms, "How about I show you how to hear the call of the wild?"

"I'd do THIS!" snapped Kala, giving the luckless Loboan an uppercut that stuck him in the roof before he fell down on Matt's table.

"Yeah, she's into me," said the Loboan dizzily .

"I'd tell him that she's already taken, but I don't think it'll get through that hard head of his," said Matt, "Besides, this is more amusing."

The leader, apparently called Gralen, was talking to what was left of his flock. "Why are we pretending? We should take this ship and return home," snapped an underling.

"Do you not see how vastly outnumbered we are?" growled Gralen, "We do not have a chance of succeeding if we simply tried to take the ship. No, we must find a means to tip the balance in our favor."

"Do we have a plan?" said another one a little harshly before there was a knock.

All conversation halted before Gralen went to the door and opened it. "What do you want?" he growled before noticing there was a lovely female Loboan with black and brown fur there.

"Um, hi, my name's Kai," she said, "I was wondering if I could come in for a little bit."

"Oh, yes, yes, by all means, please do come in," said Gralen, suddenly a lot politer. All the Loboans' attention turned to Kai, more than a few tails wagging.

Gralen glared at them, making it clear that they were to be gentlemen...well, whatever the equivalent of gentlemen to Loboans were. "Our meetings is over," he said, pointedly at his followers, who filed out, the blonde one saying "Hey, sexy mama, maybe later-" before Gralen literally kicked him out.

"SHUT UP, BETA!" he snapped before he looked at Kai. "Now...how may I help you?"

"Well, I kinda need a few pointers on being a Loboan. And since the last Loboan guy disembarked, I was hoping you could help me out," said Kai.

"Wait? I don't understand. Have you not always been one?" said Gralen, now completely confused .

"Well, no, I got infected with nanites from this revenite mirror machine," said Kai, "Actually, not that directly. Matt got it from the machines but then he bit me and gave me nanites."

"Really? Is this machine on board?" asked Gralen, his mind already trying to make use of this information .

"I wish. Then we would have figured out how to fix this mess," said Kai.

"Oh. So, why would you consider turning back?" asked Gralen .

"Uh, because I have a life on Earth, where people tend to freak out about werewolves and won't give me time to explain that I'm not actually a werewolf," said Kai.

"Yes, of course," said Gralen quickly before adding almost automatically, "By the way, we're not werewolves."

"I know that, but I have to remind people every other time," said Kai with annoyance.

"Of course," said Gralen, before thinking, "Tell me, did they take blood?"

"Well, a little, they tried to isolate the nanites so they could find their shutdown command. Not that it did them any good," said Kai.

"Oh, and I suppose that blood is still in their apothecary's quarters?" said Gralen

Kai said, "You mean the medical bay?"

"Yes, that," said Gralen a bit dismissively.

"Yes, I suppose the blood's still there," said Kai, in a puzzled tone before Gralen put his claw around a weird stone around his neck.

"Could you look at me for a moment?" he asked, his eyes starting to glow.

"Uh, exactly what kind of monk...are...you..." said Kai, her voice slowing down as a blank look appeared in her eyes.

"That right dear...let it all out," smirked Gralen.

...

Matt meanwhile was trying to finally relax with Kala, the two watching any film they could find from the database. It was slightly spoiled due to Aria, in a rather mean prank, having only unlocked werewolf films.

"I'm getting pretty sick of all these werewolf clichés," said Matt.

"I know," said Kala, "After a certain point, they're just repeating themselves over and over again."

"Yeah, before you know it, somebody will be on a rampage. Oh, hey Kai. Apparently tonight's film is 'An American Werewolf in Paris'...again," said Matt absently as the door opened and Kai seemed to stagger in.

"Aria could have at least let us watching something more modern," said Kala, "I highly doubt that watching movies from 6 years in the future is gonna damage the timeline."

Matt nodded before noticing Kai had grabbed one of the popcorn bowls from the table and was chowing down, her face buried in it. "Erm...Kai?" he asked carefully . Kai snarled at Matt before she continued munching on the popcorn. It didn't take a genius to realize what was going on. "Oh boy, someone's going feral, again," said Matt, rolling his eyes.

"You wanna take care of this?" asked Kala.

"Me? I took care of it the last time. With you I might add," said Matt.

"Well I'm the one who's always having to take care of you when you go feral," said Kala.

"Fine, rock-paper-scissors for it?" suggested Matt. Kala glanced at her three-clawed hand with doubt. "It can still work," said Matt stubbornly.

A sonic blast sent the two flying, Matt groaning, "Sonic blast beats paper...SECURITY!"

The security team got in pretty quickly, evidently having been waiting for this. "Let me guess, Kala saw the full moon on the screen and went feral," joked one of them.

"I'm right here," growled Kala, "There's your feral she-wolf." She pointed at Kai who was growling at all of them.

"Ok, ma'am...eaaasy does it," said one of the marines, the group walking towards her, hands outstretched to grab her when they lunged .

"Shall we help them?" asked Kala.

"Just a sec, trying to pause the movie," said Matt. A thrown chair demolished the TV at that before Kai was seen running out into the corridor . "Ok, now it's gotten personal," growled Matt.

"You know the TV can be repaired easily," said Kala.

"It's a matter of principal now!" snapped Matt before running after Kai.

...

Blitzwolfer had also heard the call for security and arrived in time to see Kai run out the rec room, several marines in pursuit . Blitzwolfer sighed and said, "I should have guessed. Skurd, gonna need something to tie her up."

"Coming right up," said Skurd before creating some Wildvine tendrils.

Kai slid to a halt at that, her addled mind recognizing Blitzwolfer as 'mate' though the tendrils were not right. "Kai, calm down, don't make me have to fight," said Blitzwolfer. Kai began to growl at that, getting into a fighting stance, apparently recognizing those words .

Blitzwolfer sighed and said, "Looks like we're gonna be doing this the hard way." He swung one of the tendrils out which wrapped around Kai's arms. Kai snarled before biting down on the tendrils, tearing at them. The next tendril wrapped much of Kai's head, including her muzzle.

Matt and Kala ran out at that, Matt snapping, "Ok, I thought Scout said this couldn't happen."

"I don't know what's gotten into her," said Blitzwolfer, "Maybe it's just a-"

"Don't you say 'full moon'," growled Matt.

Blitzwolfer paused before saying, "Time of the month thing?"

"No, if it was, Kala'd be having the same problem," said Matt, Kala nodding before snapping "Hey!"

"Well, whatever it is, we need to get her to calm down," said Blitzwolfer.

Kai snarled angrily, trying to pull free again before Blitzwolfer grabbed her to try and hold her still while Matt tried to check her inhibitor, only to find it gone. "Aha, here's the problem," said Matt, "Someone took her inhibitor. Good thing we have a backup." He fumbled for the Lobo Unitrix on her neck.

There was a crackle of energy before Kai shifted back to human, her eyes spinning before she said dizzily, "Whu...where...?"

"I hope you haven't taken off your inhibitor because you were about to go swimming or take a shower," said Matt.

"Uh...I don't think so," said Kai.

"Good, because they're waterproof so I don't have to be mad at you for doing something stupid," said Matt.

"The last thing I remembered was going to talk to that Gralen guy," said Kai, shaking her head .

"Good, that's just who I was about to blame. Or that one who's been acting like the wrong kind of wolf," said Matt.

"You mean that idiot, Beta?" said Kala

"I believe 'beta' is just a rank," said Skurd.

"No, it's his actual name, his surname apparently," said Kala .

"Who cares?" snapped Matt, "I know one of those Loboans took that inhibitor and I'm gonna find out who before kicking them off my ship!"

The intercom buzzed at that. "Erm...sir? You'll wanna come down to the hanger...right now," said a nervous voice.

"Ah, proof to evict them, perfect," said Matt with a fierce grin that made the others uneasy.

...

The hanger had the guards back again, the frigate looking alot cleaner, when the gang arrived. "Ok, so what's the big deal?" asked Blitzwolfer, before one of the engineers said. "This ship, I think it's one of ours."

"What? How could that be possible?" asked Kala.

"Time dilation, we checked, the temporal stabilizer's shot to buggery. Anyone at the controls would have been at the system's mercy," said the engineer, pointing to a nameplate that said 'North Star 2' with an addition in Mattas handwriting saying "If you tried to steal this, you're already dead...JUST TRY IT!"

"Ok, that's plain eerie," said Matt, "I suppose my future self lent out one of his shuttles to somebody. Nobody would be dumb enough to steal it."

Chris said, "It's a North Star ship. We did give a ship away...get it open. Screw their privacy." The engineer nodded before getting to work. The lock opened easily to the response of familiar commands, but the door was a bit jammed by the damage the shuttle took.

"Ben, if you'd care to join in." said Matt, shifting to Loboan form and grabbing part of the door. Blitzwolfer sunk his claws around the door before heaving. The door soon cleared its blockage and swung out.

The inside of the ship had clearly been heavily modified, a second door beyond. This one however was clearly well maintained as it easily opened when Matt entered in his override, before Matt jumped back in apparent terror as a few wolf-shaped bracelets rolled out.

"What are these? Loboan artifacts?" asked Blitzwolfer.

"No...they're not. Get a hazmat team out here. No bare skin," Matt said angrily, hitting the lights to show a stasis booth at the far end. "Please don't be him," he muttered, hitting the control. The stasis booth opened with a slow hiss, mist pouring out of it. Matt was about to look inside when a white-furred fist punched him straight on the nose. Matt let out a canine yelp of pain before clutching his muzzle.

A lupine figure, wearing what looked like plate armor on his chest and holding a pretty big sword walked out the mist. "MONSTERS! INSULTS TO MY SPECIES!" it roared angrily . Matt yelped and backed away, his instincts currently at the helm. When the lupine figure advanced towards him, Matt dropped to the floor, revealing his belly in a submissive display.

The response was an impressive punt that sent him flying back out the ship and into the others. "I will teach you fools what happens when you hold a warrior of Asgard hostage!" snapped the creature . The troopers on guard quickly opened fire on the creature. But what few bullets weren't deflected with his sword bounced off his plate armor.

However, the shooting did cause the creature to pause. "Wait...I know these feeble weapons," he muttered, before spotting Techo. "Is it?" he said, backhanding a charging Chris, in his own werewolf form. He quickly approached Techo before saying in a low voice, "I'd call them off right now if I were you, Ignatius."

Techo yelped, memories coming back.

...

1 months...or 500 years ago if you are picky...

Matt facepalmed as he looked at the scene. "Ok...who had the bright idea to have a drinking contest against an Asgardian werewolf?" he said .

"I tried to warn him otherwise, but he just wouldn't listen. And how many times do I have to remind you that I'm not a werewolf?" said the wolf-man.

"Astrid might disagree," said Matt confidently, looking at a pair of feet underneath the table. "Chris or Techo?" he asked.

"That would be Ignatius," said the wolf-man, "Chris was part of it earlier, but I believe someone slipped something into his drink to make him run for the, what do you call it, bathroom."

"Oh, NegaMorph was taking part," said Matt, kicking Techo's foot who muttered "But I don't wanna go to school."

...

Techo shuddered before yelling, "HOLD YOUR FIRE, YOU MORONS!"

The troopers ceased fire, though Matt and Chris were still groaning. Thus it fell to Techo to say, "Hello, Fenris, you're looking pretty well for being stuck near a black hole for about a thousand years."

"Only a thousand this time?" smirked Fenris before he said darkly, "Now, where is the cur, Gralen?"

"I'm guessing you didn't invite him onto your ship," said Techo.

"I came to his world by accident. You programmed the ship as I wished: to find injustice. The creatures Gralen faced...these...Vladats, were such. I came to their aid. But Gralen is obsessed with his race's purity and spreading it around. He tried to use the stones on his allies and failed. I tried to stop him..." said Fenris, his voice stopping as he hung his head, "They were too numerous. They overpowered me and placed me in that booth. I presume their allies drove them from their world."

Just then, Matt sat up and shouted, "I knew it! I knew those guys were a cult! I tried to warn you but you didn't listen! I knew it!"

There was an almost universal "SHUT UP!" from everyone .

Fenris lifted an eyebrow and asked, "Is that Matt?"

"Long story, we'll fill you in later once we've gotten rid of these cultists," said Techo.

"You hit me...why you hit me?" groaned Matt dizzily as Fenris helped him up .

"I thought you were one of those Loboans," said Fenris before prying at Matt's muzzle and making it open sideways, "Wait, you are a Loboan. How did they do this to you?"

"They didn't...was a piece of tech we ran across by accident," said Matt, after he had slapped Fenris's hand away

"Do you still have this tech here?" asked Fenris.

"If we had, I wouldn't look like this," said Matt grumpily.

Fenris gave a sigh of relief, "So those cultists won't be able to inflict this on any others."

"Wait, what? Start from the beginning..." said Matt, confused.

Fenris sighed, "Their leader is a madman who sees his race as the perfect lifeform...and that it should be spread as far as possible."

"Oh, and I bet he tried using your wolf stones to do so," said Matt.

"Yes, but he couldn't bend them to match his race," said Fenris.

"Ok...oh smeg," said Matt, running over to the intercom, "Captain Andrews, get a full squad down to the medical deck, lock it down, especially blood plasma storage."

"Why would your blood storage be a concern?" asked Fenris.

"Because mine, Kala's and Kais bites _can_ pass it on...and so can our blood," said Matt in horror .

Fenris looked grim and said, "If those cultists are able to figure out how to spread this disease around, they could become a very serious threat."

The com buzzed again. "Sir. Andrews here, the med bay's a mess. 6 men down, multiple injuries and the blood bank's cleaned out," said Andrews's voice .

"Please tell me you at least didn't label the blood in languages they could read," said Fenris.

"No, all in binary. Chip and Aria control storage," said Matt .

Fenris gave a sigh of relief, "Then they'll have to sort through the blood until they can find the ones they need. That should give us some time."

Matt nodded, "Aria, all bulletin alert. Find that cultist and his buddies and toss them in the brig. They resist? Shoot em."

"Right away, captain," said Aria.

...

Gralen snarled as he heard the announcement go out. "We are exposed. Have you found the right blood yet?" he snarled .

"How are we supposed to know?" asked one of the cultists.

"Keep checking them!" snapped Gralen .

"But they all look the same," protested another acolyte.

"Then start tasting them!" snapped Gralen.

One of the cultists gulped, before opening one of the canisters and taking a hesitant lick, before screaming, clutching his throat. The other cultists quickly stepped away from him, especially when his fur started to fall out. The luckless cultist's skin quickly was covered with red scales, his muzzle joining up into a normal one, filling with fangs as a pair of horns grew out his head and his tail became serpentine before he stopped screaming, instead laughing. "Fresh MEAT!" he roared, lunging at Gralen and being liquidated by the leader's sonic blast .

The cultists stared at the messy remains before one of them, "Definitely not that blood."

"Keep checking!" snapped Gralen before sniffing the air. "Trouble," he said, heading for the door to their hiding place. He hid beside the door and waited a few seconds.

Then the door opened and Kai walked in, followed by another Loboan in a green outfit. "I think we're getting pretty close," said Kai.

Gralen glared before silently closing the door behind them. "Sister Kai, did my chat help you?" he said out loud .

Kai and the Loboan spun around and snarled. "You messed with my mind, you sorry excuse for a monk," growled Kai.

"No, I enlightened you," said Gralen, sounding hurt, but still smirking in a worrying way.

"You have some nerve messing with my girl," snarled Blitzwolfer.

"Oh, I won't leave you out," said Gralen, his eyes starting to glow, Kai starting to zone out a little.

"Hey, cut...that...out..." said Blitzwolfer though his voice slowed down.

"That's right...begin to think...purely..." said Gralen, the two Loboans' eyes starting to glow like his were. Quite soon, they were bowing in front of Gralen.

Quite fortunately, Gralen didn't pay any attention to the green slime on Blitzwolfer, thinking it was simply some unimportant infection. And Skurd was smart enough to avoid letting his head be seen and be quiet.

"Very good. Now then, you can stand up now," said Gralen, apparently satisfied . Kai and Blitzwolfer obeyed immediately. "Now then, Miss Kai, kindly show us which of these container hold your blood," said Gralen.

Kai bowed at that, walking into the room to the shock of the other cultists and picking out a single bottle. "Excellent," said Gralen.

"There is more," said Kai before holding up two more bottles.

"Even better," said Gralen, clapping his hands together. "You will make a...beautiful addition," he said, before snarling as Blitzwolfer also growled .

"She's mine," growled Blitzwolfer.

"I am your alpha," growled Gralen, his eyes glowing again. Blitzwolfer winced at that before slowly going down into a bow again.

"Master, how are we supposed to spread this around?" asked one of the cultists.

"We will find a way. The galaxy will provide. Until then, we are leaving this place. We head for our ship," said Gralen calmly .

"That ship barely held together the last time," said another cultist.

"But now it is repaired by these humans," said Gralen smugly .

"But what if they already found the Asgardian?" asked that cultist.

An angry howl was heard at that. "It doesn't matter. His stones were useless anyway," said Gralen quickly .

"But the Asgardian was not easy to subdue," said another cultist.

"He has no powers besides his tooth and claw. We are many. We can defeat him and any others who stand in our way," said Gralen.

Blitzwolfer's chest symbol lit up at that. "Ben...Ben, report in. Have you found those morons?" snapped Matt's voice, the gravelly tone indicating he was still stuck as a Loboan .

Gralen gave Blitzwolfer a glowing look before Blitzwolfer said, "Not yet."

There was some hesitation at that...

...

Matt looked at the others. "He sounds half asleep," he whispered to the others, covering his headset's mic.

"Remember, Gralen's the guy who sent Kai on a rampage," said Kala.

Matt nodded, before Chris said evilly, "Let me try," before taking the headset, "Hey Ben, when we get back to earth, let's get some of your grandpa's cooking? That sound good?"

"Sure, I'm feeling hungry," said Blitzwolfer's reply.

Matt and the others exchanged a look. "Hey, Ben, where are you?" he asked, programming some spiderbot orders in.

"Gotta go," said Blitzwolfer before hanging up.

"I have him. Deck 34, cargo bay 12," said Aria.

Matt stood up. "Fine, let's go wolf hunting," he snapped.

...

Gralen and his followers walked down a corridor, ignoring the fact that most of the doors leading off their path had been sealed. All Gralen cared was that the path to the ship was open. The tunnels finally opened into the main hanger. "Finally. Beta, go power the ship up for launch," he ordered, seemingly not noticing the metallic spider slowly getting ready to pounce.

The spiderbot gave an anticipated wiggle before leaping out at Gralen. The Loboan effortlessly turned and speared the spiderbot while it was in the air with his claws. He slammed the mechanical arachnid against the floor before ripping its head sensors off. "Huh, shoddy craftsmanship," he said.

The rest of the cult laughed in agreement, before one screamed as several spiderbots jumped on him and began to repeatedly stab him. The others turned to see dozens more spiderbots, slightly bigger ones with guns mounted on top, scuttling out of every crevice, making angry hisses.

Gralen quickly ran for the shuttle. So long as he survived and he had the blood, the quest will go on. A few of the cult, Kai included managed to break off, helped that the spiderbots were ignoring her in their wholesale and fatal vengeance, as the shuttle began to take off. Gralen, however, held up his paw to stop Blitzwolfer getting on, spotting the crew of the Novus Star running in. "No, stop them following," he ordered.

Blitzwolfer snarled before running back towards the troopers. Skurd sighed and said, "Ok, this has gone far long enough." He inflated his head until an Echo Echo mouth appeared and he started emitting a very high-pitched frequency.

The remaining cultists, Blitzwolfer, Matt, Chris, and Kala all yelled in pain, grabbing their heads, the spiderbots pausing as they stopped fighting. One of the cultists said weakly, "Hey...where am...MONSTERS!" he screamed, seeing the humans around him, the others joining in the panic.

Skurd shrank back to his normal size and said, "Well, I think now everyone is thinking like they ought to be again."

Gralen glared, before yelling to his remaining cult, the ones aboard the shuttle and therefore safe from Skurd's little trick, to take off, the ship echoing with retreated clanks as the crew fired at the escaping ship . The ship quickly sped for the exit, the hangar doors unfortunately still open and the force shield, meant to keep the atmosphere inside, didn't stop it from going out.

Blitzwolfer groaned however before, finally, his Omnitrix began the timeout beep for the first time in nearly a week. "Nanite infestation purged, disabling lifeform lock," said the Omnitrix.

Ben groaned, rubbing his forehead before saying, "Alright...what's..." before coughing, realizing he had talked like Blitzwolfer's mode of speech for a second.

"For once, it's actually good to see that rather humdrum face of yours," said Skurd.

Ben nodded. "It's good to be back. That was getting weird. How did he..." he began before Fenris, snapped "My medallion, I got it when I returned to Asgard to restock. It was to help me snap stone users who had gone feral back to their senses."

"And you didn't mention that to us before?" snapped Matt.

"I didn't realize it was gone. A mere mortal cannot usually control its magic," snapped Fenris.

"You were placed out of time for a thousand years!" snapped Chris, "The humans have gotten a lot more advanced since then. Plus, you're actually in a separate universe where there are hundreds of races that are even further ahead. Wake up, Fido, you're not top dog around here!"

Fenris snarled at that. "Are you not the one who gave one of my wolf stones to a youngling?" he snapped, only to yelp as Matt lost patience and punched him on the snout .

"Don't think you Asgardians are so far above reproach," said Matt, "Check out any Norse mythology book and you'll find at least half a dozen tales of you guys screwing over mortals for kicks."

"Are you sure you're not thinking of Greek mythology?" asked Kala.

"Are these guys any better?" snapped Matt.

"We met, Circe, they're no better," whispered Techo to Ben .

"Point is, you Asgardians screw up plenty of times and leave the mortals to pick up after you. You, so far, are the only one I've met who tries to clean up after himself," said Matt, "And finally, there _is_ no Asgard here. You're on our turf now."

Fenris growled, seemingly about to attack Matt, as several marines aimed at him before Fenris said, "You have my apologies."

"Can I hear that again for posterity's sake?" asked Matt only for Fenris to growl at him again.

"Don't push your luck," said Fenris, "We have greater things to worry about."

"Yeah...AFTER THAT DAMN SHIP!" yelled Matt .

"Might I suggest using a smaller and faster vessel?" said Aria.

"With what? The North Star 2 was destroyed, remember?" snapped Matt .

"Have you forgotten the nickname of this vessel? The fleet in a box?" pointed out Aria.

Matt paused...before smirking "Prep a frigate, have the Novus Star behind us," he said .

"Will do, sir," said Aria.

...

24 hours later...

The frigate 'Black Dragon' shot through hyperspace, Matt on the bridge, in human form. "How much longer?" he said.

"Shouldn't be too long," said a crewmember, "Their shuttle hasn't moved anywhere for quite a long time."

"Maybe they ran out of gas," suggested Ben.

"Incoming transmission...NSC emergency band," said the monotone voice of the computer.

On cue a female voice said panicky, "This is Avus VI colony on all bands...we have a Sy-Yong class 6 infection...colony's entering lockdown but defense teams have been overwhelmed...God, is someone out there?"

Matt was a bit hesitant to respond. For all he knew, the civil war was still going on. But he couldn't ignore something as urgent at this. "This is NSS Black dragon, 4 minutes out, what's your name?" he asked, as kindly as he could.

"This is Delores Sanchez, please tell me you're close to my position," said the voice pleadingly.

"We're three minutes out," said Techo quietly.

Matt frowned, hearing the constant clanks and howls in the background. "We're heading to you as fast as we can go. Where are you?" he asked.  
>"I'm in the command center...I can't see anyone else on the camera. They just...poured out of the shuttle when it landed, attacked anyone and mutated them...smegging Loboans," said Delores starting to freak out.<p>

"Hey, stay with me. Sure you secure?" said Matt sternly .

"I've got every door I can control sealed and bolted," said Delores's voice, "I just hope they can't squeeze through the vents."

Matt paused before saying, "Command modules have vents that are too small for even housecats. You should be ok. Find a gun and hunker down. We're almost there-" he said before jumping as the unmistakable sound of a sonic howl was heard and Delores screamed "No...NO...GET AWAY!" followed by the sound of a blaster before Delores began to scream over and over before Matt, with a shaking hand, killed the connection .

"You don't think Kai's doing any of that, is she?" asked Ben with worry.

"I have no idea. It was audio only, thank God," said Matt in a distant voice before he said, "Chris? Load the guys up with dragonbusters. I'm not in the mood to take Gralen prisoner today."

"This guy was from the Vladat wars, right?" asked Ben.

"Yeah, so?" asked Chris.

"Because I've got the perfect alien to deal with him," said Ben.

Matt turned to glare at Ben. "I just heard that girl get eaten alive because of him. I'm fresh out of mercy today," he snapped, his eyes glowing yellow.

"So am I," said Ben in a serious tone.

"Very good," said Matt as the ship suddenly shook to reveal a gas giant, a vast station floating above it.

"Oh good, space stations," said Chris sarcastically .

"Which means a plague could easily spread through it if it is particularly virulent," said Rook.

"No need, they have a walking plague carrier with them and her blood...and probably mine and Kala's," said Matt, before saying "We'll go over in shuttles, jam the SOS. I don't want this time's NSC turning up."

Ben was looking rather distressed until Rook said, "If Gralen is using Kai to infect other people, it is unlikely that she would be causing any fatalities. The plague cannot spread if the victims die."

Matt nodded before clicking on the intercoms. "Load extra clips of tazer rounds, non-lethal unless it's Gralen," he yelled into it.

"Hang on a sec, let me get my game face on," said Ben as he turned on the Omnitrix. He spun the dial around before saying, "Let's see how this guy does against Whampire."

He slammed on the Omnitrix and there was a flash of light. When if faded, Ben had changed into a green alien that was only a head taller than he was before, greatly resembling a gill-man wearing swim trunks that had the Omnitrix symbol on the belt. "What the, where did this guy come from?" asked Ben in a somewhat-gurgling voice.

"Yeah...a water breather's gonna be SOOOO useful ON A SPACE STATION!" snapped Matt.

"Say, did that Lucius guy ever grab the Omnitrix or something?" asked Chris.

"Yeah I think, so what good is this guy?" asked Ben. Rook looked at his Proto-Tool's computer and said,

"According to the Alien Lifeform Database, the Blaguana of Anur Milligan are capable of underwater respiration, increased strength, sharp claws, touch scales, acute night vision..."

"Uh, anything in there that doesn't make this guy a rip-off of Ripjaws?" asked Ben.

"It also says they can spit a corrosive ink," said Rook.

"Yes...yes he can...he tried to dissolve me…" said Matt in a small voice, remembering that moment .

"Ok, acid ink might be useful, until I dry out," said Ben.

"Actually, it says here that Blaguanas can survive out of water far longer than Piscciss Volanns," said Rook.

Chris yelled, "LETS JUST GO EAT THAT DAMN MORON!" getting a few cheers from the mercs.

...

The docking bay to the station resembled the main terminal of an airport, shops circling a vast foyer that had a window showing the gas giant the station orbited. However there was also alot of blood patches, as Delores had apparently said this was where the attack had begun. Matt and Chris were in their Loboan/werewolf forms, Matt having insisted Kala stay behind at the Novus

"Uh, won't this guy use his medallion to control you too?" asked Ben, or as he recently named this form, Murkfin.

"He's welcome to try with me and Chris will be smart enough to look away, won't you, Chris?" said Matt, looking at Chris who had been staring at a light dot on the floor all through that. "CHRIS!" Matt yelled in his ear

Chris yelped before saying, "Watch where you're shouting, megaphone mouth."

"Let's go..." said Matt carefully, before hearing some crying from one of the shops. Matt paused before motioning everyone to be quiet. Carefully, he crept forward to see who was crying. He slowly opened the door to see several Loboan cubs in clothing hugging each other. "Hey ki-" he began before a saucepan hit him in the face.

"GO AWAY!" screamed one of the cubs, clearly a kid. Matt yelped before rubbing his wounded snout, grumbling loudly about the stupid thing being more sensitive than his dragon's snout. Chris peered round the corner at that, ducking back in as more appliances were used as projectiles. "Go away, monsters! You're not gonna melt our brains!" yelled the same kid that had belted Matt

"We are not going to melt your brains, we came to help," called Rook.

"You're not with the wolf people? They bit us," said the other kid, in a little girl's voice .

"No, we are here to stop them," said Rook.

"My name's Alice. The bad wolves came in the shuttle and started biting everyone," said the girl in an overly cute voice

"Well, we'll be sure to get them," said Murkfin. The kids looked at him and screamed before throwing more stuff at him.

"ENOUGH!" yelled Matt before being hit again, the kids escaping into the vents. "Urgh...little brats...they took my bloody wallet!" snapped Matt, petting his pockets .

"Huh, space urchins adapt quickly," said Chris.

Matt glared before looking up to see a camera following him.

Gralen glared as he watched Matt peer closer at the feed, waving a hand before talking soundlessly to someone else. "I see that the captain is more persistent than I thought," said Gralen, "I shall have to send someone to deal with him." He reached forward and pressed the intercom button. "Brother captain, you came. Perhaps we could talk about this?" he said a little tauntingly

"We can talk about this when you're mounted over my fireplace!" snapped Matt.

"You don't have a fireplace," pointed out Chris.

"Shut up!" snapped Matt.

"Why? These poor people were struggling along when we came here," said Gralen before the view was twisted round to show Fenris.

"You foul villain. When I get my claws on you, you will regret the day you ever met me."

"Ah, the Asgardian. Not as wise as you claim to be, are you?" said Gralen smugly.

"Wisdom was not my specialty. Killing monsters like you was," growled Fenris .

"Monster? I see myself as a missionary. The Loboans are the most able-bodied race in the galaxy. I simply want to share the glory of being a strong Loboan with everyone," said Gralen.

"You're insane," said Fenris darkly, before Matt took the camera and grinned insanely.

"Get your will in order...cause I'm gonna take you apart bit by bit," he said before opening his mouth and biting the view, the feed going to static.

Gralen raised an eyebrow before saying, "I'm going to need to send more wolves."

...

"You probably should not have eaten the camera," said Rook.

"Kinda wonder what the footage from that will look like," said Murkfin.

Matt had a half-content/half-crazy look before he burped out the camera's data chip. "We can find out later," said Chris, a little disgusted before he paused and fired two tazer shots at the roof, the two cubs from earlier falling out with a yelp.

"Hey, you didn't have to do that, you jerk!" said Alice.

"Considering one of you took my wallet, I think I have the right to do that," said Chris.

"He took mine too," said Matt annoyed as the kids glared.

"Who cares? You're just working for that idiot...HEY!" snapped the boy before they both yelped as Fenris picked them up.

"Both of you, give back what you took," he commanded, shaking them .

From his shaking, three wallets fell out. "Huh, who else got picked?" asked Chris.

Rook felt his pockets and said, "I believe that would be me."

"It was easy too," said Alice smugly before doing her scared voice, "Pl-please don't hurt me."

Matt turned to Chris and said, "We can _not_ introduce these kids to NegaMorph. They'd rob us of everything."

"So...what's the fuzz doing here? Bit late aren't we?" said the boy smugly.

"If you were listening to our conversation earlier, you'd know we're trying to apprehend a zealot Loboan who's gotten his paws on something that he shouldn't," said Matt.

"Yeah? How do we know you're not just dark empire or something like that?" said the girl accusingly before Matt yelled "SMEG THIS...TELL ME WHERE THAT PITTLE PUNK OF A LOBOAN IS OR I'LL FEED YOU TO THE SPIDERBOTS!"

"Wait a second, are you Admiral Matthew Lynch?" asked the boy. "Well, not Admiral yet, there's a bit of a time travel problem," said Matt. The boy grinned widely and asked, "Can I have your autograph?"

Matt blinked at that, a little confused "Erm...what? I erm...haven't got a pen...but..." he said, his brain short circuiting.

Chris quickly seized on the opportunity, "If you lead us to that bad Loboan, he'll give you his autograph." "Deal," said the boy.

"I'm...I'm not a public nuisance...I worked hard to get that reputation...the future is dark." gibbered Matt, sadly ignored.

...

Meanwhile, Gralen had assembled a small pack of wolves to take care of their pursuers and he had selected one wolf in particular to lead them. "Sister Kia. Do not be fooled by the Loboans in their midst. They are traitors who will weaken us...and the weak do not get to live," Gralen commanded .

"I understand," said Kai with a growl.

As Kai went off with her squad, Gralen's second muttered, "You know they will be wiped out, correct?"

"We already got what we want from her," said Gralen indifferently.

"Indeed, but how do we get out? Their ship will destroy us the minute we take off," said the second .

Gralen span and pinned his second to the wall at that, "They are fighting pure Loboans. They will fall as did the feeble soldiers on this station.

"But they have a ship-" started the second.

"Which we will be stealing shortly," said Gralen.

"Ok...as you...say…" winced the second before Gralen let him go . Once the second had managed to clear his throat, he asked, "Wasn't that a Blaguana with them?"

"So?" said Gralen, not really listening before pausing, "They have a what?"

Meanwhile, the others were following the cubs, er, kids to where the bad Loboans were.

"Their leader was a creep. He gave us a weird stare and then got angry when we wouldn't kiss his ass like the adults," complained the boy, who's name was Arron.

"Kids say the darnest thing," commented Skurd.

"My amulet will not affect the young. Mostly because the wolf stones go for warriors...adults. There was no need to make the amulet effect children," said Fenris, looking down a side corridor and frowning, "We are being stalked."

"Asides from the cameras?" asked Murkfin.

"No...6...maybe 7 Loboans," said Fenris calmly, gripping his sword .

"Oh good, I was starting to get bored," said Matt dryly.

"Do not be complacent," said Fenris calmly before Kai could be seen in front of them

"I was afraid he'd try to do that," said Murkfin, "Kai, it's me, Ben. You know, your boyfriend."

Kai's reply was to bear her teeth and yell "KILL THEM ALL!"

As the Loboans charged behind her, Murkfin said, "Ok, guess I have to hold them off." He took a deep hocking breath before spitting several globs of acid ink at the floor in front of the Loboans. The Loboans barely managed to skid to a halt before they fell down the hole in front of them . "Ha, that took care of them," said Murkfin. Then the Loboans jumped back out of the hole. "Oh, wait, I forgot they could jump," said Murkfin.

Several tazer rounds hit the Loboans at that before the last one was sonic blasted by Matt. "Go for Kai! Get close and bash some sense in if that's needed!" he yelled .

However, these Loboans seemed to have more fortitude than normal and kept getting back up. "Ok, time for Plan B for Batty," said Murkfin before pressing on the Omnitrix on his belt.

In a flash, he was replaced by a very vampiric-looking alien. "Ah, much better," said Whampire. Some of the Loboans paused at that before whining and dropping into a crouch, most of them gibbering .

"What kind of alien is that?" asked Chris.

"A Vladat," said Whampire.

"I don't see what's so scary about you," said Matt.

"Hang on a sec," said Whampire before spitting something at an incoming Loboan. The object, which was revealed to be a diamond-shape eye with bat wings, hit the Loboan's forehead. The Loboan froze in place before Whampire said, "Get them." Immediately, the Loboan turned and attacked some of the cowering Loboans.

"Ok...that's pretty cool," said Matt before Kai sonic blasted him .

"Kai, I hope you'll thank me for this later," said Whampire before spitting a Corruptra onto her forehead. As Kai stumbled, Whampire's eyes glowed hypnotically and said, "You are not under Gralen's control. Wake up." Kai whimpered, the Corruptra starting to smoke as the Asgardian 'magic' tried to fight back . "You are not his attack dog, you are Kai Green. You do not take orders from him," said Whampire.

Kai snarled weakly, grabbing her head before stopping, just as the Corruptra dissolved to dust. "Uh, better slap another on her," said Matt.

Kai groaned, "No...No, I'm ok," staggering back as she shifted back to human .

Whampire gave a sigh of relief, "You really had me worried there for a moment."

"That...guy...he's gonna steal the ship," Kai managed, slumping down the wall as exhaustion kicked in .

"My ship? MY SHIP!?" snapped Matt.

"Uh oh," muttered Chris, giving Matt some space, Matt who proceeded to knock a remaining Loboan flying into a wall from sheer anger.

"He thinks he can take MY SHIP!"

"Is he normally this overprotective about his ships?" asked Fenris.

"You haven't flown with him," said Chris dryly.

Kai shook her head, trying to get her brain to unscramble again. "He said this was...a trap. He knows that shuttles falling apart. He needs a bigger one," she said .

"HE'S NOT TAKING MY SHIP!" snapped Matt.

Chris sighed before turning on his com, "Corporal, watch out for any boarding attempts."

"Will do, sir. Nothing will get by me," said the corporal. His words rang rather hollow since he was already a Loboan.

Gralen, earning a future death sentence from Matt by sitting in the command chair said with an evil grin, "It is a suitable vessel, but do its weapons work?"

"Completely operational," said the corporal.

"I think we should test them...just in case," said Gralen with a smirk.

"Of course, alpha," said the corporal.

...

Meanwhile...

Matt was 'interrogating the Loboan Kai had identified as Gralen's second...via playing 'make a new door using someone's head. "Ok, let's try again, where's Gralen?" said Matt's his left eye twitching

"He left..." said the Loboan dizzily.

"You said that last time, more information!" snapped Matt, the others wisely keeping their distance, though Fenris was enjoying the interrogation, saying it reminded him of an outpost back in the outer realms.

"He left the space station..." said the Loboan a bit incoherently.

"Where to? We control his shuttle and he doesn't have an ID chip for the escape pods!" said Matt, before bashing him against the wall a few more times .

"He's getting a new ship," said the Loboan.

"The only other ship is mine and it's locked down!" snapped Matt, Chris, looking out a porthole saying "…and turning to aim at us."

Matt's eye twitched and he snapped, "He's in my ship?! AND HE'S USING IT AGAINST US?!"

"Everyone out!" yelled Chris, the guns of the frigate glowing as they charged up

Matt took a bit of dragging as his mind was locked on shouting profanities at Gralen, his kin, and all he was gonna unleash on them.

...

Gralen watched as the frigate guns pummeled the station, one whole section blown loose. "Warning...target orbital vector altered...colony destruction in 25 minutes," the computer said

"That should be enough," said Gralen, "We have other work to do."

"Yes, my alpha. Where to?" asked one of the Loboans .

"Well, we've received a great gift from our host, I think we ought to share it with others," said Gralen.

...

"Urgh...got any two's?" said Matt darkly.

It was lucky that most of the converted colonists still remembered where the emergency zones were and with the Novus star barely 15 minutes away when the attack happened, it meant they'd be saved. The trouble was spending the time till rescue. Arron had brought up the innocent suggestion of poker but he had forgotten to say how he was also a card shark as well as currently a Loboan. But at least Fenris had been suckered into the game and he turned out to be a worse player than Matt.

"Ok, you both owe me...500 thousand credits...each," said Arron with an evil smirk before Chris's com finally beeped. "Frigate Black Dragon...please respond, this is Novus star."

Chris answered and said, "I'm afraid the Black Dragon has been lost. Not destroyed, but we literally lost it."

"Oh crap, not again," muttered the voice on the other end, clearly one of Matt's regular crew.

"Yeah, we need a pick up and to evacuate all the people on this station," said Chris.

"Roger that, we're already in system, ETA 20 seconds," said the crewman.

...

The Novus Star made quick speed back to Earth, mostly so that the colonists could be processed. Most of them actually had interest in going to Anur, though two tiny Loboans were refusing to leave the ship.

"I told you, I don't have current funds. Can't you take an IOU?" snapped Matt.

"Not a chance..." said Arron smugly .

"And you still owe us plenty," said Alice, poking Fenris.

"Are gems no longer considered currency in this time?" growled Fenris.

"Hah, they're pocket change in the NSC!" said Alice smugly .

Fenris groaned before turning to Matt. "Can't you help me out with this?" he asked.

"Hey, I've already got my own problem," said Matt.

"Then we're staaaying…" said Arron in a sing-song voice .

Matt groaned before saying to Chloe, "I want them placed on the opposite end of the ship from NegaMorph. I'm not turning this ship into a den of thieves." He glanced at Fenris and said, "And he's gonna be our extended guest for a while so find him a place to stay."

Chloe gave an annoyed sigh and said, "Just what we need, more werewolves."

She was then blown off her feet when everyone shouted, "WE'RE NOT WEREWOLVES!"

* * *

><p>There's the next chapter. Sorry it took longer to get up, I've been under the weather lately. And with this chapter, we're finally bringing an end to the extended Loboan focus for the time being. And we've gotten Fenris from the Broken Nest fic back. The next chapter will feature more Ben 10 aspects and should be up at the regular time. Keep an eye out for it and please review.<p> 


	6. One Mean Mother

**Reticence Saga**

**The Aliens Within**

**Chapter 6: One Mean Mother**

While Gralen had torn apart a fair amount of the medical bay earlier, he had, quite fortunately, overlooked the place where Mina and Lita were still resting after their encounter with the kryteer. Kryteer don't leave people alive very often, mainly if they've been interrupted. Being comatose was hardly the worse that could happen after an encounter. Some people have had whole years of life scared out of them by the creature. And that phrase was about to take another twist as Mina started to wake up.  
>Matt and Kala had come in every free moment they had, mostly because Matt was pissed that a kryteer had gotten her on his watch. He'd also made sure that it was <em>always<em> guarded after Gralen's little rampage. Lita herself was awake in the next bed over and looked little the worse for wear, though Mina was a different story.

Mina groaned a bit before opening her eyes. "Mina, are you hearing us?" asked Kala.

"Yeah, I think so," said Mina weakly.

Matt and Kala gave a sigh of relief before Matt asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Like my stomach's caved in," groaned Mina.

"Not surprised, you haven't eaten in quite a while. I'll send for a leg of lamb," said Matt.

"Matt, are you sure we want to give her solid food so quickly?" asked Kala.

Mina's stomach growled very noisily and she shouted even louder, "FEED ME NOW!"

"One leg of lamb it is," laughed Matt cheerfully as Lita waved from her bed.

"Least you're ok too," she said

"We ought to get her a leg too," said Kala.

"FEED ME!" yelled Mina.

"Uh, better make that a whole lamb," said Kala.

...

A short time later and Mina was demolishing some roast lamb as Matt and Kala watched and Lita tried not to stare at the food. Mina turned out to be a lot more ravenous than any of them would have expected. It would have been messy if Mina weren't make sure to pick every single bone clean. When the last scrap of meat vanished down her gullet, Lita asked, "Uh, can I have-" Mina hissed at her before gnawing on the bones themselves.  
>Kala raised an eye brow at Matt. "Been giving her lessons?" she said before sighing as Matt was petting Mina on the head saying "That's my goddaughter."<p>

Mina snarled and snapped at Matt's hand, which he barely retracted in time. "Geeze, you'd think she'd have gotten full from that lamb already," said Matt.

Just then, Mina stopped her gnawing and started quivering. "Mina, honey, are you feeling ok?" asked Kala.

Just then, Mina surged in size, her uniform quickly getting very tight as her body expanded in size. Most noticeably, her hips and bottom had become noticeably rounder while her fledgling chest grew to more adolescent proportions. She lifted her head, her face also looking more mature, and shouted in a slightly deeper voice, "MORE FOOD!"

The group stared before Lita said, "What the heck do you put in your lamb?"

"I thought they were putting growth hormones in cows, not sheep," said Matt before having to duck as Mina threw a bone at him and yelled, "GET ME MORE FOOD!"

Matt stood up, snapping "ENOUGH!" easily catching the next bone, before starting to gnaw on it cigar style without any apparent shame . "Mina, I don't know what's going on here, but we're decreasing your food intake until we figure it out. And shouting is not going to improve that so please put that down," said Matt, the last part coming out at a bit of a whimper as Mina had heaved up the bed she was laying on and was getting ready to throw it.

Mina seemed to twitch before starting to sob. "Oh, there, there, Mina," said Kala soothingly, "We'll figure this little problem out."

"Buuut I'm just sooo hungryyyyyyyy…" wailed Mina.

Lita looked thoughtful before calling Kala over. "I think I know what's wrong," she said, whispering something in Kala's ear .

"Really? What?" asked Kala.

"She's a teenager..." said Lita out loud .

Mina blinked before saying excitedly, "Yeah, I am a teenager. I can stay later, I can go on missions, and I can even drive now."

"Still not driving," said Matt on automatic .

"I can drive if I want to!" snapped Mina.

"Not if I have anything to-" started Matt before Mina threw the bed at him. It was that point the spiderbots intervened.

...

"...and that's why we're banned from the medical bay for 1 week," said Matt, sitting at the Mr. Smoothy's with Ben.

"Huh, is it normal for dragons to start growing that fast?" asked Ben.

"Hardly," said Matt, "In fact, she shouldn't be able to grow at all with the chronal detainment spectrum."

"The what now?" asked Ben.

"Oh, with some universes, including this one, when any living thing is displaced to a different time period than when it belongs, they completely stop aging until they're returned to their proper time," said Matt.

"Huh, that would explain Billy Billions," muttered Ben.

"Billy who?" asked Matt.

"Oh, no one important," said Ben, "But couldn't something else had made Mina grow?"

"Maybe that kryteer?" suggested Kala.

"If it had sucked out a few years of her life, they would have showed immediately, not right after she ate," said Matt.

"Got no idea. Does anyone in this crazy time zone know about time travel?" asked Kala .

"Professor Paradox would, but evidently this isn't important enough or he would have shown up," said Ben.

"Hmm..." said Matt before adding "And if it isn't bad enough, the experiments are getting stir crazy."

"Where are they currently?" asked Rook.

"Oh, in town somewhere," said Matt casually, causing Ben and Rook to spit out their smoothies.

"What? People know about aliens. What could happen?" said Matt innocently . Just then, an explosion was heard not too far away. "Coincidence," said Matt quickly .

"We better make sure," said Rook, standing up.

...

It turns out, it really _was_ a coincidence, seeing how it was unlikely the experiments would have blown up a bank. The real culprits soon exited the hole they blew in the bank. "Octagon, how's come I hafta carry all the coins?" asked Rhomboid.

"Cause you're the strongest of the two of us and this paper money is of a more acceptable weight and burden for a smaller feller like me," said Octagon.

The two were ready to get another load when a plumber truck rolled up, Ben, rook and Matt (in human form) jumping out . "See, told you it was a coincidence," said Matt.

"Is that Matt Lynch?" asked Rhomboid.

"I'm afraid so," said Octagon, "Seems like we're gettin' blown up early today."

"Yeah, I'm just observing," said Matt innocently.

"That ain't like the Matt Lynch we've come across," said Octagon.

"Maybe he's a fake," said Rhomboid. The two Vreedle brothers exchanged a glance before opening fire.

Matt yelped jumping behind the cover of the timecycles, looking at his reflection. "I should have asked for a Unitrix too instead of counting on hulk logic," he snapped . With that, he removed his holocloak and jumped back around the timecycles, letting out a sonic howl as he did.

The Vreedles were thrown back by the blast, but were barely hurt. "Ain't Lynch supposed to turn into a dragin'?" asked Rhomboid.

"That he does, which seems to weight to the argument that this fellow is an imposter," said Octagon.

"I'm no imposter, you are!" Snapped Matt before sonic howling them again .

Meanwhile, Ben had activated his Omnitrix and changed into Shocksquatch. "Ok, let's get the party started, eh?" he said before sending bolts of electricity at the Vreedles.

The two of them got zapped, but instead of yelping in pain, they laughed. "Heehee, that tickled," said Rhomboid.

"Oh yeah? Laugh this off!" snapped Matt, tossing two plasma grenades at them .

"Hmm, that doe seem more likely of Matt Lynch's preferred method of gettin' rid of somebody," said Octagon before the grenades went off. After the flash and bang, all that was left was a smoking crater. "Well, that takes of them for the day," said Matt.

...

Not too far off, the Vreedles' ship beeped as the cloning chambers in the back spat out a new pair of Vreedle clones. "Fortunately, we'd had the foresight of parking the cloning machines close," said Octagon.

"Sure does save time," said Rhomboid.

"Of course, it'll make robbin' an establishment a little harder," said Octagon

"Can't we just pick up where we left off?" asked Rhomboid.

"The problem with that suggestion is that Tennyson and Lynch are still there and goin' back now will just get us blown up again," said Octagon.  
>Rhomboid seemed thoughtful before saying, "Why not get some grub till they leave?"<p>

"Not a bad idea, Boid," said Octagon, "New clones got empty stomachs."

...

Matt looked at what was left, saying, "Who the heck were those twerps?"

"I thought you knew the Vreedles," said Ben.

"Oh, right, they looked a different for some reason," said Matt, "Maybe I should get my eyes checked."

"There are alot of them. They are a big family," said Rook, adding, "Though military ordinance is perhaps unnecessary ."

"Eh, force of habit," said Matt, "Now where were we before Dumb and Dumber tried to rob the bank?" "Regarding Jumba Jookiba's illegal genetic experiments?" asked Rook.

"Ah yes. He made quite a few. Usually Lilo'd keep them from running too much of amok but she's in her home universe at the moment and I doubt I call her current version," said Matt .

"Technically, this is her home universe, though I doubt you would wish to endanger causality by contacting Ambassador Pelekai," said Rook.

"True, though I could use some tips for reining in Draco," said Matt.

"I do not recommend this course of action," said Rook as Matt dialed on his comm.

"He'll have to find out the hard way," said Ben.

Matt waited for the ring before a block he recognized came on. "They kept a code lock? Huh, override 9912," he ordered, grinning as it began to ring .

After a bit, a voice came through, "This is the chronal communications block established by acting Novus Star AI, Dr. Aria. Your call has not been granted approval and could potentially aversely effect the flow of time. This call has been disconnected."

"What?! You listen to me, you stuffed shirt of a computer! I have the right to call whoever I want, whenever I want, even if the 'when' is not the proper 'when'!" snapped Matt.

There was a slight pause before the comm said, "Your voice print has been identified as Captain Matthew Lynch. Your disregard for protocol has been anticipated and you will be shortly receiving a 500 volt shock to discourage you from making further calls. Thank you."

"Wait, 500 what?" asked Matt before he started getting shocked.

"You think this will keep Matt from making more calls?" asked Rook.

"He'll probably try it a few more times until he either finds someone to yell at directly or something happens to distract him," said Ben.

...

Meanwhile, Mina was not in a rather bright mood. She had gotten older and yet everyone's been treating her _more_ like a kid. She would have hoped she'd get more privileges, but all she was getting was sore from the tightness of her clothes.

Chloe, Megan and Kala were helping her a bit with that, Megan having cast the same spell her own clothing had to stop them being destroyed. Mina gave a sigh of relief when her clothes became less restricting. "Finally," said Mina, "So when are we going to do some big girl stuff?"

"I dunno..." began Kala before Megan used a spell to make hers and Chloe's lips seal.

"We can go right now!" she said, writing in the air behind Mina, 'Let's do it so she won't go nuclear.'

"Great," said Mina before pausing to look at herself in a mirror. She was getting very pretty now. She wondered if boys found her cute now or whether she cared about that. As she was pondering that, she suddenly felt something squirm before there was a popping sound. Mina stared in horror at the pustule that had just emerged from her forehead.

"RUN AWAY!" yelled Megan, the trio managing to clear the room before it literally exploded .

"Isn't she overreacting just a little bit?" asked Kala.

"Dragons aren't supposed to get zits," said Chloe, "And you would have no idea how mortifying they are to girls."

"I'M UGLYYYY!" yelled Mina from the other room, a spontaneous shadow spear narrowly missing Kala.

"One lonely pimple does not make you ugly," called Kala. Not long after that, there were a few more popping noises and Mina let out a shriek.

"That's more pimples. Don't worry, judging from her aging, they should be popping and vanishing any tiiiime NOW!" Said Megan, diving for cover .

Kala and Chloe also dived for cover and it was for good reason. Mina's pimples didn't simply burst, they fired like cannons. And being part dragon, the missiles were flaming wads that exploded on impact. After a minute, Mina staggered out, saying in a faint voice, "Never again." before falling on her face and smoldering

The girls winced before Chloe asked, "Is she likely to have another acne attack?"

"Maybe if she ate something greasy," said Megan.

Mina twitched at that. "Ok, no grease for her," said Chloe quickly .

...

The Vreedles had gone to eat at the most diverse eating establishment in Bellwood, much to the dismay of the owner. "The Vreedle brothers? Oh no," moaned Mr. Bauman as the alien thugs walked in, "I suppose you're here to rob my store and then that wrecking ball Ben Tennyson will show up."

"Nah, we just here ta eat," said Rhomboid.

"And we're gettin' a discount, a five-finger discount," said Octagon, pointing his gun at Mr. Bauman.

Rhomboid slowly counted the fingers on one hand before saying, "But we only got four fingers."

"That was what you might call a figure of speech, Boid," said Octagon, "As in we ain't payin' for lunch today."

An explosion from the direction of the self-serve microwave signaled the arrival of a white...thing that splatted over Octagon's face, a cybernetic thing and a small draconic creature running into view.

"Octagon, you got hit in the face with a marshmallow," said Rhomboid.

Octagon pulled the thing off his face and said, "I have to disagree with you, Rhomboid, on account of this ain't no marshmallow."

The thing formed into a cute slug-like creature before saying, "Hello."

"Heh. It's alive," said Octagon, the slug creature saying "You look weird." a blaster being shoved up his nose .

"Hey, put down our cousin," said the cybernetic thing.

The brothers both laughed at that "What you gonna do about it, tiny?" said Rhomboid .

"Well, for starters," said the cyborg before zapping Octagon's blaster which quickly shut down.

"Hey!" complained Octagon, tossing his useless blaster aside and aiming a blow at the cyborg .

The dragon caught the blow before grinning widely with four mouths. "Oh no, here comes the smashing," groaned Mr. Bauman.

Octagon glared before yelping as Draco tossed him into a food display, Rhomboid reaching for his own blaster . The white blob, which had been dropped by Octagon, shifted into what looked like a purple four-armed pig before lifting Rhomboid above his head and spinning him around.

Octagon meanwhile was struggling with the dragon, "You think you can beat me?"

"Easily," said the dragon before throwing Octagon into his much thicker brother.

"You ok, Octagon?" asked Rhomboid a little dizzily .

"I'm thinking we might have bitten more than we can chew," said Octagon.

"But we haven't eaten yet," said Rhomboid.

The Vreedles looked over to see the dragon charging up blasts in his mouths and the cyborg charging up some big guns. "Uh oh," said the two of them before they were blasted out of the store one foot at a time, the creatures apparently taking their time about this.  
>Rhomboid said dizzily at that, "Can we go back to the bank yet, Octagon?"<p>

"I'm thinkin' that may be a good idea," said Octagon before they got up and started to run away.

"Yeah, you better run, losers!" called the dragon, "You punks are no match for us. And don't get me started about your mama!"  
>The brothers froze at that, slowly turning and Rhomboid saying slowly, "What did you say about our ma?"<p>

"I say yo mama's so fat, she's classified as her own planet!" taunted the dragon. The Vreedles gave angry growls at that. "Yo mama so ugly, she entered a Grendalek ugly contest and won!" taunted the dragon.

"Uh, Draco, aren't you getting a bit too far?" asked the cyborg.

"Quiet, Chip, I'm on a roll," said Draco before calling, "Yo mama's so stupid, she cheated off of Morph's IQ test!"

The blob giggled and said, "That's a good one."

Rhomboid also laughed and said, "That was pretty funny."

"Can it, Boid. That weren't supposed to be funny ta us!" snapped Octagon.

"It weren't?" asked Rhomboid.

"Boid, our family honor is at stake. They just called Ma fat, ugly, and stupid," said Octagon.

Rhomboid glared and said, "Nobody talks about Ma that way."

"What ya gonna do about it?" taunted Draco before his eyes went wide as the two brothers got out their heavy artillery .

"Ok, I think we need to end this quick," said Chip before sending out a viral blast that hit the brothers' blasters.  
>The brothers glared and tried to fire, their blasters starting to crackle with unfired energy. "I thinks we're about to be blown up, Octagon," said Rhomboid .<p>

"I suspect you're right, Boid," said Octagon before the blasters glowed brightly and exploded.

When the smoke cleared, there was just the two brothers' shoes smoking in the crater their blasters had made. "You _had_ to tease their mother," scolded Chip .

"It was funny," protested Draco.

"And I suppose killing them was funny too," said Chip.

"Oh, they'll be back," said Mr. Bauman with unconcern, "The Vreedles get blown up all the time. They'll pop up again in clone bodies and get blown up later. Hopefully next time won't be at my store."

"See? No harm, no foul," said Draco.

"They also are very protective about their mother," added Mr. Bauman .

"Big deal," said Draco dismissively, "You think Mina's cooled off enough to return to the ship?"

"Didn't you hear him? You're in deep trouble." snapped chip

"From the expendable clowns? Hardly. You heard about the Vreedle brothers, they don't even have a bounty on them. The NSC official label them as 'target practice'," said Draco.  
>At that point, the timecycles pulled up, Ben, Rook, and Matt running up. "Ok, what did Morph put in the microwave this time?" Matt said .<p>

Morph scratched his head and said, "I'm not really sure, but it looked tasty."

Mr. Bauman seemed to see Ben at that. "Oh no...not Tennyson...urgh, at least the trouble's gone," he muttered .

"I'm guessing it's more than just these guys," said Ben, pointing at the experiments.

"Eh, just a little tussle with the Vreedle brothers, nothing to worry about," said Draco.

"The clone guys? They were here?" said Matt .

"Yep, they weren't that hard to beat," said Draco, "They did break out some big guns when I threw a few 'yo mama' jokes at them."

Rook and Ben stared at Draco as he had gone completely insane. "You insulted Ma Vreedle?" asked Rook.

Matt facepalmed. "Even I wouldn't have done that. It's the unwritten rule. I doubt even Ghoulwyrm would," he said.

"Well, yeah, insulting moms is dirty, but Draco really shouldn't have insulted their mom," said Ben.

"So? It's not like she'll take it that personally," said Draco.

...

Back at the Vreedles' ship, the clone chambers opened to let loose Octagon and Rhomboid's latest bodies, and man were they ticked.

"That ugly gator is gonna get a big whoopin' once we find him," said Rhomboid.

"Right, we better load up on bigger guns though," said Octagon.

But just then, the communicator beeped. Octagon flipped it on and both of them said, "Hi, Ma."  
>"Where have you two been? You're late for mah stew," snapped Ma Vreedle .<p>

"Awfully sorry, Ma, but we is currently involved in what you might call a quest for vengeance," said Octagon.

"If yer talkin' about blastin' Ben 10, save it fer later. Yer keepin' yer baby brothers waitin'," snapped Ma.

"It ain't Ben 10 we's gonna blow up," said Rhomboid, "We's gonna blow up a mutant lizard for sayin' mean things about ya."

"What? Some two bit mutant's been talkin' bout me behind mah back?" snapped Ma Vreedle.

"Yeah. He called fat, ugly, and stupid," said Rhomboid.

"Which we knows is not correct at all," said Octagon.

"Fine, you two get back home and eat yer stew. Ah'm gonna find where this here lizard is and sort him out proper," said Ma Vreedle .

...

Meanwhile, the group had moved to Plumber HQ, Draco still not convinced about the gravity of his faux pas. "I still don't bite how one lady can be that bad," said Draco.

"You haven't met Ma Vreedle." said Ben, with a shudder, remembering the last disastrous visit .

"As if she's any worse than her sons," said Draco.

"Ma Vreedle is far more dangerous than her two sons put together," said Rook, "She is wanted in 12 systems and banned in 27 more."

"Not to mention Vilgax himself is scared of her," said Ben.

"Vilgax...as in the galactic warlord who wanted to vaporize you?" said Draco, his cockiness vanishing .

"Yeah, I find it hard to believe too," said Ben.

"Ok, now I know you're exaggerating," said Draco.

"I believe there is adequate footage to show just what Ma Vreedle is capable of," said Rook. Grandpa Max nodded, pressing a button and causing the main screen to light up with the footage of the last 'visit'.

Draco started to go pale as he watched Ma Vreedle trash the Plumber base when she was looking for her Pretty Boy. "And let's not forget what happened when the whole family was in town," said Ben, pressing another button and showing the Vreedles spreading mayhem around Bellwood.

Draco's mouths fell open in horror. "And I upset her?" he said in a squeaky voice. Morph highlighted this thought by humming the funeral dirge. "Shut up, Morph," Draco whimpered, one of his mouths gnawing on his claws .

"Yep, she's gonna make a pair of boots out of you," said Matt, "Probably a matching handbag too."

"Matt, please shut up," gibbered Draco .

"I call dibs on his stuff," said Chip before NegaMorph shoved him out of the way.

"Forget it, I'm getting the good stuff," snapped NegaMorph.

Matt lifted an eyebrow and asked, "How long were you here?" "Uh, just a few minutes. Figured it'd be quieter over here since Mina's throwing a major hissy fit on the Novus Star," said NegaMorph.

"What kind of hissy fit?" asked Matt innocently as Draco continued to have a nervous breakdown .

"Oh, the kind that leaves a burning ruin wherever she's been," said NegaMorph.

"Oh, nothing new then," said Matt, before pausing, "I'm sorry, what?"

"Well, apparently it involved a bucket of fried chicken, a mirror, and an unflattering comment by someone," said NegaMorph.

"And did that comment happen to come from you?" asked Matt suspiciously.

"No," said NegaMorph only for Morph, turned into Fibber, to beep loudly.

"NegaMorph...go back...and APOLOGISE TO MY GODDAUGHTER!" roared Matt .

"Can't I wait until she's simmered down?" asked NegaMorph.

"What do you think?" said Matt before Draco suddenly hugged his head, screaming "SAVE MEEEEE!"

"Oh, right, you talked smack about Ma Vreedle," said NegaMorph, "Not very bright of you."

"I'M TOO YOUNG TO BE A HANDBAAAAG!" screamed Draco in Matt's ear .

Matt winced before managing to pull Draco off and shove him over NegaMorph's head. "Yell in his ear, he deserves it," said Matt as he rubbed his sore ear.

"NEGAMORPH! I don't wanna be a pair of boots! DO SOMETHING OR I'LL YELL IN YOUR EAR MORE!" yelled Draco .

"Hmm, we'll need to hide you somewhere," said NegaMorph before going over to a water fountain and stuffing Draco into the water container. "Perfect, no one will notice you," he said.

"NegaMorph, you're fired." said Matt, pulling Draco out.

"You can't fire me, I've got a contract," said NegaMorph.

Matt gave him an odd look before saying, "I didn't sign any contract...did I? Anyhow, if you can't be useful here, go apologize to Mina." NegaMorph glared, vanishing before he said, "Can't you hide him?"

"Well, we have the Plumber space station and the Novus Star," said Chip, "I think between the two of them, we can put together a good enough defense to keep Draco from harm."

"That's for that, Chip. Murphy's always listening," said Matt darkly .

"Who is Murphy?" asked Rook.

"He's talking about Murphy's Law, as in things will go bad when someone says 'things could not get any worse' or 'what could possibly go wrong'," said Ben.

"Like what CHIP DID!" snapped Matt, glaring and sticking a fridge magnet to Chip's head .

"Oh, yoouu aaarrreee eeeexxxxaaaaggggeeeerrrraaaattttiiiinnnngggg..." said Chip as his voice slowed a lot.

"Name one time the universe hasn't kicked us in the nuts when we've gotten too cocky," snapped Matt .

Chip couldn't reply because his voice processor had apparently gotten stuck and he was just saying, "uuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrr..."

"Ok…so, we wait till Ma Vreedle arrives then we nuke her," said Matt ,

"How long do you suppose that'll take?" asked Ben.

"Well, if I was her, I'd be tearing Bellwood apart looking for Draco," said Matt .

"Most likely starting with Undertown," said Rook.

There was a pause, as if expecting the alarm to come in that second. "Hmm...maybe I was wrong?" said Matt .

...

Meanwhile, 'Chloe' had decided to take a break from Mina's pubescent tantrums by strolling around Undertown. She probably could have been doing some covert way of fanning the flames of Mina's delightfully unpredictable mood swings, but her rapid development gave 'Chloe' an odd feeling of nostalgia. 'Odd' because she has memories of going through puberty and being fully aware they weren't hers. She was also enjoying the fact she could go through Undertown as her real self without even a whimper from anyone. "Oh, I could almost live here," she said as she floated along .

She was passing by Argit's place when she heard a commotion going on inside. "Hmm, wonder what that little ratfink is up to," said Betrayl before shrinking down to a tiny size and poofing into Argit's office.

"I-I'm telling you, Mrs. Vreedle. I dunno who this dragon thing is you're talking about!" yelped Argit .

"Hogwash!" snapped Ma, "Ya know everything about who goes through Undertown and yer gonna fess up or I'm puttin' ya on the spit for dinner!"

"I REALLY DON'T KNOW!" screamed Argit, panicking a bit .

"Ma, perhaps if Argit had what you might call a visual representation of this lizard, he would know who we're talkin' about," said Octagon.

"Ya two have a picture of that thing?" said Ma doubtfully.

"I sure do. I made it myself," said Rhomboid, holding up a rather crude drawing that looked like it had been done by a kindergartener with crayon.

Ma, her vision filtered by 'parent-o-vision', said, "See? It's clear that there's a dragon cre-" she began before there was a click, a flash of light and the picture was suddenly a photo of Draco.

"Wow, I's a better artist than I thought," said Rhomboid.

"That...that I might know. One of Admiral Lynch's friends," said Argit .

"Then where does he live, ya varmint?" snapped Ma.

"On the warship in orbit, though I hear he comes down every now and then to get coconut cake," said Argit, happy now he was sure he was not barbeque fodder .

"Ya know how to get on that ship?" asked Ma.

"You can't, they don't let anyone on board...but you could lure him down," said Argit.

"How could we undertake such a tricky operation?" asked Octagon.

"Hey, I think I wrote a plan," said Rhomboid, looking behind the picture to see a very detailed-looking plan with a teleport frequency .

"Since when could you write that good?" asked Ma dubiously.

"Ah can't, Ma," said Rhomboid, scratching his head .

"Something screwy's goin' on round here," said Ma before taking the plan and reading it. Granted, her education wasn't the best either, but she was able to make sense of it. "Ok, Argit. Ah want one of these here tellyportar things," she said darkly .

"Uh, I'm afraid I don't have such a device in storage," said Argit before gulping as Octagon and Rhomboid aimed their blasters at him, "But I can get you one."

...

The teleporter in the Novus Star was pretty heavily controlled, a small squad on duty at all times, except for now at shift change, where just two were present. "Hey...you ever wonder why we're here?" said one marine before the teleporter pad lit up for an incoming warp .

"Uh, we expecting anybody coming in today?" asked the other marine.

"Control, we have unauthorized incoming, codes check out," the first one said, a crewman on the other end saying "Probably team 12 on their way back."  
>"Fine," muttered the other one, the two holstering their weapons and standing at attention.<br>However, when the light of the port cleared, three Vreedles were standing on the pad, guns at the ready, which fired, taking the two marines out before they could even move .

"Alright, boys, we're huntin' down that lizard and a-blowin' up anyone who gets in our way. You think you two knuckleheads can handle that?" asked Ma.

"Emergency, unauthorized weapon fire in teleport bay 6. All security respond," said a voice at that .

"If there's one thing we're good at, it's blowin' up," said Rhomboid.

"Just make sure it's them that gets blown up and not you," snapped Ma.

Several troopers ran into view at that, one of them yelling, "DROP THE WEAPONS!"

"Let 'em have it, boys!" shouted Mom before the Vreedles opened fire.

Two of the troopers were torn apart almost immediately, the others taking cover. "All units, we got intruders, might be Vreedles!" one yelled into his com before a blast vaporized him.

...

Draco's reaction to this news was pretty much what everyone expected. "HIDE ME! HIDE ME! HIDE ME!" yelled Draco, shaking Matt like a maraca.

Matt managed, "Stop shaking meeee." before he finally hit Draco on the head .

"I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm so totally dead," whined Draco.

"Well you did piss off the biggest villain family in the multiverse," said Matt casually .

"I think that's exaggerating," said Chip.

"But she is the meanest mother in this galaxy," said Morph.

"That's...probably dead-on accurate," said Chip.

"And she'll probably hit Draco till he's wafer thin," said NegaMorph with glee .

"You're not helping," said Ben.

"Besides, I do not think Draco is in mortal danger," said Rook.

"I've just calculated the probability of Draco surviving his encounter with Mrs. Vreedle," said Aria over the intercom.

"And they are?" asked Rook. There was a brief pause before the funeral dirge was played.

"Et tu, Aria?" groaned Draco.

"This is security...they split up...we can't find the ma but the other two are headed for engineering," said a voice in the com .

"That can't be good," said Ben.

"We gotta get Draco off this ship," said Matt urgently .

"Yes, off the ship, good idea!" said Draco in a very anxious way.

"It's better than here," snapped Matt .

"Then we better hurry," said Rook.

...

Meanwhile, Mina was back on the rage side of her current mood curve, as was indicated by several small scorches around her. She'd heard the alarm and the order to head back to quarters but had chosen to ignore it. "They can't tell me what to do. I'm a teenager," she growled.

On cue, a trooper was thrown into view ahead of her, smashing into a wall and slumping down, causing Mina to freeze in place as her self-preservation began to point out the plusses of heading back to her room. Her self-preservation became more demanding when she saw what had thrown the trooper come around the corner: a big, fat, ugly grey-skinned woman with two big guns in her hands.

"Meep," she managed before turning and legging it, and being grabbed as something wrapped round her legs.

Mina looked down to see that her legs were wrapped up by ribbons that seemed to come from the lady's lower back. "Hold it right there," she barked, "You haven't seen a scrawny lizard thing with ten legs, have ya?"

"You mean Draco?" yelped Mina, trying to get her hands to transform so she could grab the floor plating.

"Where's that lowdown snake hidin'?" barked Ma, "That ugly gator's gotta a tannin' comin' ta him."

"I...I dunno...which snake are you talking about?" said Mina desperately .

"Stop playin' word games and tell me where that varmint is!" snapped Ma.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" cried Mina, "I mean, I just went through a puberty spurt, my mood keeps swinging like a revolving door, my face erupts pimples every other hour, and I have no idea what's being going-" Mina suddenly winced as her abdomen cramped badly.

Ma raised her eyebrows and asked, "What are you doin' there?"

"My guts...it hurts...make it stop..." whined Mina, clutching her stomach in pain.

Ma's maternal instincts quickly took over. "Ah, hush now, yer just becomin' a woman is all," said Ma, a lot softer than before.

"Why didn't anyone tell me it would hurt so much?" groaned Mina.

Ma picked up Mina gently and said, "Let me guess, yer goin' through a rapid growth thing?"

"How did you know?" asked Mina. "Happened to me when they first cooked me up in that lab, not that they expected me ta turn out the way I am," said Ma. She took Mina into a side room and sat her down. "Now, if yer gonna be a grown lady so fast, there's a couple of things you ought to know," said Ma.

Mina twitched before her eyes went draconic and she snapped "Are we hunting Draco? He still owes me credits."

Ma sighed, "Not for the moment. This here's a mite more important."

...

"So, why is we fixin' ta blow up the ship?" asked Rhomboid.

"Cause there might be a chance this Draco thing might elude Ma and us," said Octagon, "However, if we were to blow up this whole ship and everything in it, we'd be sure to get him and we'd just pop outta new clones."

"Now that's a bright idea that only a pair like us could think of," said Rhomboid.

"Yeah, Morph couldn't think of a more stupid plan," said a voice behind them.

"Why thanks, wait a minute," said Octagon before seeing Matt and company.

"Now who gave you permission to come on MY SHIP?" snapped Matt, his eyes looking red .

"We did, ah think," said Rhomboid.

"Fair enough, I'm gonna kill you now," said Matt casually, before shifting to Loboan form and letting loose a sonic howl at them .

"We ain't gettin' blown up by a hound dog this early. Let 'im have it, Boid," said Octagon.

Rhomboid reached out into his pocket and pulled out a toy bone which he held out to Matt. "Here, doggy, ya want the nice bone?" asked Rhomboid. Matt just gave him an 'are you kidding' look.

"Not that, the other thing!" snapped Octagon.

"Oh, right," said Rhomboid before pulling a canister out of his pocket and tossing it. The canister landed at Matt's feet before exploding in a cloud of green smoke that caused Matt to yelp and howl . "Whoo, Ah bet that gas smells right nasty," said Rhomboid.

"Which makes it fortunate for us on account of our lack of what you'd call olfactory organs," said Octagon.

"Our what?" asked Rhomboid.

"We don't have noses," said Octagon.

"Shoo...shoot em…" coughed Matt, clearly in pain .

Chris and Rook tried to take aim, but their noses were also be assaulted by the stench and as such it was hard for them to aim straight. Ben spun the dial on the Omnitrix and said, "Ok, this would be a really bad time for Wildmutt, so please work with me."

He slammed the dial down and changed into XLR8. He lowered his face mask and said, "Not what I had in mind, but this will work." With that, he dashed forward towards the Vreedles. The Vreedles turned in time to be knocked flying by XLR8 smashing past them .

"Blast 'im!" said Octagon before the Vreedles opened fire. Of course, XLR8 was too fast for them and soon literally running circles around them. In fact, his constant running caused a small tornado to form and lift up the Vreedles while sucking the gas inwards.

"Might I suggest we cool these two down?" asked Skurd before producing an Articguana-based cannon.

"Not a bad idea," said XLR8 before blasting the tornado with the cannon's freezing breath. When he came to a stop, the Vreedles were both frozen up to their necks at the top of an ice tower.

Matt, now wearing a gas mask that made him look like an idiot, glared, "Can I shoot them now?"

"This is only a bit of a setback," said Octagon.

"Yeah, when Ma gets here, she'll blow you up real good," said Rhomboid.  
>"Ok, fatty, where's your mummy?" growled Matt.<p>

"We don't know where she is," said Rhomboid.

"And we wouldn't tell if we knew," said Octagon.  
>Matt raised an eyebrow before saying, "Aria, scan for any weird clones of these twits."<p>

"Scanning..." said Aria's voice. Less than a minute passed before Aria's voice said with alarm, "I've detected her in Sector 5 with Ms. Lumina."

"WHAT?" roared Matt, sonic howling the Vreedles . The ice they were imprisoned in shattered and the Vreedles were dumped onto the floor. They didn't seem the worse for wear, though they were shivering from the cold. Matt pointed to Rook and Chris, "You two, chain those guys up and bring them along. We'll see if their mom is willing to trade Mina for her nimrod sons."

"Based on their usual encounters," started Rook before XLR8 hushed and said, "I'll go on ahead." With that, he zipped off.

"Ok, morons, time for a free visit to the brig," said Matt, grabbing one of them.

...

XLR8 shot through the ship, knocking over the odd marine or tech but intent on getting to where Lumina and Ma Vreedle was. "Do even know where Sector 5 is?" asked Skurd.

"A rough idea, but when you're this fast, you can just keep running until you're in the right place," said XLR8. With that, XLR8 kept running until he finally saw a hatch marked 'sector 5', several concussed marines scattered around . "There we go," said XLR8 before zipping inside. He quickly started checking every room he could find.

It only took a few seconds to find the only locked door at the very back of the sector...that and the trail of knocked out crew helped too. XLR8 hammered on the door and said, "Open up in there. We know you're in there, Ma. Come out with Mina before things get ugly."

"You stay outta this. This here's a talk between two women," snapped Ma's voice from inside .

"Ok, Skurd, give me something to bust down the door," said XLR8.

"That does not sound like a good idea," said Skurd, "It's quite rude to bust in during a lady's conversation."

"Oh, don't tell me you believe that. Fine, I'll do it myself," said XLR8 before hitting the Omnitrix and turning into Toepick. He jammed his fingers into the edges of the door and started working it loose, the softening acid from his fingers help quite a bit in that regard.

He had managed to pull open a small hole after a minute, which was quickly filled by one of Ma's blasters. "What did ah say?" she said darkly .

"Mina, keep your eyes shut," said Toepick, "This isn't gonna be pretty." With that, he opened up the door even more before he opened up his helmet.  
>Ma glared before firing. "That supposed to scare me?" she snapped.<p>

"What's going on?" asked Mina's voice.

Toepick tried to cover his face while also tried to shield himself from being blasted. "Mina, don't look!" called Toepick.

Sadly it was a bit too late, Mina staring with pinpricked eyes as Toepick, before her fight/flight response decided to vote for 'fight' and she spat a shadow fireball at him . Toepick was sent flying back into a wall and landed with a somewhat squishy thud. "Ow, that hurt," he said before the Omnitrix timed out.

Ma glared at that, effortlessly knocking the door down. "Tennyson. Ah told you to stay out. Ah'm here for that no good lizard and you ain't gettin' in mah way."

"I wouldn't be doing my job if I just let you blow him up," said Ben.

"Ah'm not gonna blow that lounge lizard up," snapped Ma, stomping out, followed by an even more altered Mina who was shaking and staring blankly ahead . By now, Mina had fully blossomed into a young woman, looking to be at the most three years younger than Matt or Chloe.

"What, you're not going to blow up Draco?" asked Ben.

"Nah, talkin' with little Lumina's taken most of the anger outta me. Not ta mention she said that little fella never had a mother of his own. Tweren't all his fault he never learned how to treat a mother right," said Ma Vreedle.

Aria's voice at that said, "I presume that means you are going to cease this attack?"

"Almost," said Ma Vreedle, "That lizard still needs ta be taught a lesson in respect."

"I'm presuming you mean more than washing his mouth out with soap," said Ben.

Ma's grin was more than enough of an answer.

...

"Stop it! You're not tossing me to the wolves!" Draco snapped, hanging onto his doorframe .

"I resemble that remark," grumbled Matt as he pushed on Draco even more.

"It was just a few 'yo mama' jokes. How was I supposed to know they would take it that far?" begged Draco.

"Because they're space hicks," snapped Matt, finally punting Draco .

Draco immediately turned back to the already-closed door and started pounding on it. "Let me out! Let me out! Let me out!" he yelled before pausing to remark, "Wow, that's a really sturdy door."

"It sure is." Draco gulped and turned around to see all three Vreedles, each holding a big wooden paddle. "Time to teach this little snake some manners," said Ma.

...

Matt and Kala winced as the first yelps were heard. "Don't you think this is a little harsh?" said Kala. Matt thought about it before saying, "Nah...now then, Mina. Let's hear your latest demand."

"I want to be treated like an equal member of the crew," said Mina, sounding more self-confident now that she was able to look Matt in the eye without craning her neck, "I'm tired of being dumped on just because I'm too young which I'm clearly not anymore. And I want people to stop going about me being a stowaway. I mean, heck, you and Chloe started out as stowaways." Kala raised an eyebrow at that. "Well, at least that's what I've heard," said Mina.

"No, we were sucked through a portal and found by a search and rescue ship. _You_ stole a uniform and sneaked on board...but you got a point. Technically you're legal age," said Matt, Kala staring in shock .

"But it's only temporary and she's not mentally mature," said Kala cautiously.

"Apparently Mrs. Vreedle has enlightened Lumina as to what it means to be a grown lady," said Matt before wincing as there was a particularly loud crack and Draco let out a pitiful yelp. Then he continued, "And we're definitely going to be finding a way to shrink her back down to her proper age as soon as we can. But, I suppose there's no harm in making her an honorary recruit in the meantime, providing she behaves responsibly."

"Of course," said Mina, saluting, Chloe muttering to herself "Unless she doesn't want to be de-aged…" her eyes glowing .

"So what are we going to do with the Vreedles once they've finished?" asked Kala.

"Well, they did blow up a lot of my crew," said Matt.

"Most of the injuries are non-fatal," said Aria, "Besides, we have such a huge crew now, it hardly matters when we lose some redshirts during our missions."

"Aria, when it's next convenient, I am _ordering_ you to take some leave so you don't lose your compassion," said Matt, "And as for the Vreedles, well, we got any cells that can hold them?"

"Not a chance, sir. Their escape capabilities seems to be their best skill," said Aria .

"Well, they can survive being flushed out into space, can't they?" asked Matt.

"Quite capable," said Aria.

"Good, toss them out the airlock. I'm sure they can figure some way of getting back to Earth," said Matt.

The door opened at that, the Vreedles coming out. "Well, that takes care of business, let's go home," said Ma.

"Ain't we at least gonna rob somebody?" asked Rhomboid.

"We are teeterin' towards what you might call the lower end of financial security," said Octagon.

"You can try. My mood's significantly bad," said Matt, angrily . The boys looked at each other before reaching for their blasters and immediately being pounced on by Matt who went to work on relieving his stress.

"They better be home in time for dinner," said Ma with complete unconcern.

"They should be. Never seen Matt this angry before," said Chris casually .

"Nonsense," said Chloe, "He's been in worse states of rage."

"Just make sure they're in new clones by dinner," snapped Ma, walking past several of the marines who jumped out the way .

"Well, that was nuts," said Kala.

"That's nothing. You're not the one whose mom is friends with her," said Ben, "How's Draco?"

The group peered into the room at that and winced, Matt calling it "MEDIC!"

...

"Not to worry, Draco. With our medical technology, you'll be recovered from your injuries in, oh, a week," said Aria to a full body-casted Draco, "Though your hindquarters may still be sore for a time afterwards."

"I hate you all," groaned Draco in a muffled voice, muffled due to the addition of a full head cast too.

"There, there, it's not so bad," said Morph patting Draco's foot, which of course made Draco let out a muffled yell of pain. "See? He's yelling for joy," said Morph, oblivious as always.

"Well, Draco, at least you may have plenty of company in the form of anyone who tries to make a move on Lumina," said Matt very meaningfully.

"Or you when you get through to Spyro?" said Chloe innocently .

"That goes without saying," said Matt, "But I'm pretty sure this will be fixed before then. Not like anyone here's gonna check on future Avalar if they know what's good for them."

...

Back in her room, which was in a lot better shape now that her mood swings were over, Mina was looking over her new self in her underwear. She had to admit, she was a very attractive woman now. She kept in mind what Ma had said about how other people will look at her, but she was pretty sure nobody was going to get very far, not with Matt around. Still, it was pretty awesome for her to see what she'd look like several years in advance.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Just a minute," called Mina before putting her shirt and pants back on. She opened to the door to find Chloe there.

"Hey, girl. Wanted to see how you were doing," said Chloe cheerfully, walking in .

"Fine, I've gotten a new clothes now. Though I don't have really have anything that's..." Mina paused a bit in hesitation.

"It's ok, we're both grown women," said Chloe, "You can be open with me."

"I don't wanna turn back," said Mina quickly, wincing as she expected some angry words .

"Well of course you don't," said Chloe, "I mean, if you were turned back, they'd go right back to treating you like a baby again. And I bet they wouldn't let you keep your Shar nanites either." Mina hung her head at that as Chloe whispered in her ear, "It's not like they can make you..."

"Well, don't I have a say in this?" pointed out Mina.

"You do. It's your body and you're the only Shar on the ship. They can't force you to do anything," said Chloe.

"I'm not the only Shar on the ship," said Mina, "There are other people who got infected when those marauders got onboard, like Lita."

"They'll almost certainly be on your side," said Chloe smoothly .

"I'm not so sure," said Mina.

"Well, you'll have to take up leadership someday, you might as well start on it now," said Chloe, "It'd make your parents proud to see you act more responsible."

Mina stopped. "Proud?" she said quietly.

Chloe grinned, "Very, very proud."

"Well, I suppose I can try to get a bit more support," said Mina.

"That's the spirit...and don't let anyone stop you," said Chloe evilly, petting Mina on the head. Mina blinked as her head felt fuzzy for a moment. "Say, now that you're a grown woman, how about we get a big girl's drink?" suggested Chloe.

Mina shook her head at that, "No thanks. I'm feeling a little woozy."

Chloe shrugged, "Sure...my offer's always there though."

* * *

><p>There's the next chapter. It's a breather chapter, mostly for hilarious Vreedle antics. Though there is an important plot point here with Lumina's rapid maturity. It might take a bit for the full ramifications of this to kick in, but it's definitely setting something up. And, just so you know, Ma not being scared of Toepick was not made up, it has been officially stated that Toepick's face doesn't work on her.<p>

The next chapter might be a bit longer, but it could happen next Friday. Keep an eye out for it because that's where another plot arc starts. Please review or, better yet, share some of your own 'yo mama' jokes, especially if they're Ben 10-based.


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